The Power of the Big Three
by better-be-gryffindor
Summary: Sooner than campers expected, barely after the previous one, another Great Prophecy was made, and Henry, Becky and Eric, children of the Big Three are the new heroes. P.S.: PJO characters appear.
1. Warm below the storm

**Chapter One – ****Warm below the storm**

My name is Henry Clarke. I'm thirteen. And I'm a half-blood.

That last sentence was supposed to impress/scare you. But, for some people, this means nothing. Most of them don't even know what I'm talking about. They are totally unaware about this expression and its meaning. All I can say is: I'd like to be you.

Well, many people know the expression "half-blood" as its synonym, "demigod". It means "half-human, half-god". Yep.

Imagine finding out your dad or mom is a god or goddess from Olympus, from Greek mythology, those you learn about in History classes. Apparently, they're myths, right?

Unfortunately, they aren't. They're _too_ real, actually. But you probably don't know that. Either you don't have any connection with the gods and are as normal as it's possible to be, or the monsters haven't found you yet. Hope for the first option, believe me.

When you are a half-blood, you have a really busy life. If you aren't in a quest, or risking your life, or being attacked by monsters, or running out of time, or having nightmares, or training all your body can handle – (consider all the options at the same time as well) –, you are facing a new threat to the world. Meaning: no rests. It's too much for a kid to deal with.

Of course I'm the newbie at Camp Half-Blood, where all demigods go for training. I came here a month ago. It seems little time, but I'm sure not a single mortal would bear the kind of life everyone has at camp.

The most difficult part is when a demigod discovers their real identity. I'm a lucky one, because now there's a law in which your Olympian parent has to claim their child when the demigod is thirteen. Previous half-bloods didn't have this chance. Some of them have never been claimed.

Basically, this is how it works: you become friends with a satyr disguised as a kid and when your Olympian parent claims you, this satyr and your mortal parent bring you to camp. You fight with some monsters on your way there and then you begin your training. The end.

Yeah, I think I should tell you something about my parents.

My mom is the mortal, all right. Her name is Carolyn Clarke and she's a flight attendant. Maybe that's why she caught my dad's attention, I don't know. I've spent more of my life in airports and planes than at home, and I didn't go to school like the other kids, but I quite enjoyed it. I liked to be in planes, to get to know different places, to be friends with the flying crew, to have special treatment just because I was her son… It was awesome.

I love my mom. She's the best. She'd always had to deal with the monsters attacking me, but she never gave up on me. She protected me at all costs. Even though she had to raise me on my own, she never complained, not once. I admire her courage.

Oh, now that I've told you about my mom, I think you'd like to know who my _dad _is. Well, you already know he's the godly part of the family, right? All right, here it goes…

My father is Zeus.

Okay, enough with the drama. It's not a big deal. Yeah, I'm the son of the mighty Zeus, king of the gods, Lord of the Sky. Everybody thinks that's an amazing thing. The thing is: there's nothing special. There are only disadvantages, if you compare with other demigods. You'll see later.

But I think I've already given you a fair introduction. Let's get going to the story.

/

It was the day I had completed one month of training at Camp Half-Blood. I was already used to my cabin, the healthy meals outdoors, the night sing-alongs at the amphitheater, the pegasi rides, the rough training (among others, the climbing wall – which by the way shook, dropped boulders and sprayed lava – and the arena – where I practiced sword-fighting), the Capture the Flag and the Ancient Greek lessons.

After a long day of training, I was watching the sunset by the shore of the lake with my satyr and best friend, Kyle Palmer.

Kyle was a funny person. Dark skin, curly hair, quite clumsy. I owed him a lot. If it wasn't for Kyle, I wouldn't be alive. He was my only friend. And apart from the fact that now I knew he had goat legs, nothing had changed between us.

"Happy one-month anniversary," he told me, as he bit an empty juice can.

Oh, yeah, satyrs did that. It's the only thing I'm not used to yet. At least I didn't need to go to the trash can. The rules about the environment at camp were very strict.

"Yeah, thanks," I said. "Don't know if it's a good or bad thing."

"Come on! You're the son of Zeus! You marked history, man."

"Stop it, OK?" I told him. "It's not like I'm awesome for that."

"Why is that?"

I breathed loudly and listed all the reasons to him: "I live alone in my cabin, the others are afraid to stay close to me and everyone stares at me because I'm the son of Zeus. Anything else?"

Kyle sighed. "You're not alone in this, as you already know. You should talk to them, to be nice once in your lifetime."

I knew what he was talking about. _Them_, as Kyle referred, were the only people that really knew what I was going through.

Zeus had two brothers, Poseidon and Hades. Together, they were the Big Three, the most important Olympian gods. The kids of these three were more powerful than the other half-bloods. Monsters could easily sense them. These kids offered danger to everyone around them and even to themselves, only by existing.

At that very moment, Rebecca Mills was walking around there. Her wavy chocolate hair was tied in a pony tail, and her green eyes were shining with the sunlight. She was carrying a sword, obviously for some sword-fighting at the arena. Rebecca was the daughter of Poseidon.

She smiled at us. Kyle smiled back, but I stood still. Not that I was impolite, only shy. I had difficulty to relate to people.

I kept observing Rebecca until she finally got out from my point of view.

"Sure I am nice," I said, when I recovered my voice. "I just don't want to be like, 'Hey, I'm a child of one of the Big Three too! Wanna talk about it?' "

Kyle rolled his eyes. "Think about that for a moment. What if they find cool your initiative? They're going through the same thing as you. In fact, they've been facing it much longer than you have. They like to make friends as everyone else."

I looked beyond the lake to avoid answering. Eric Butler was making cracks on the earth again on the other edge. He was the son of Hades. He had short black hair and dark eyes. Eric tended to show an individualistic behavior, which was completely normal based on his father.

"But you have to agree with me," I said, "the two of them are really intimidating."

"Intimidating," Kyle repeated. "Becky and Eric. You must be joking, Henry. They are the nicest people in this whole camp."

"I'm not saying they are not nice. But see for yourself. Becky may seem harmless, but in the battlefield she's scary. The girl is a dangerous warrior. And there's Eric. He stays in his cabin all day long. We barely see him outside, except when he is making cracks on the earth, making Mr. D. mad."

Kyle took a while to answer. "If you knew the meaning behind all this, you'd understand."

"Oh, come on! Why don't you tell me? If I can't expect the truth even from my best friend, what am I gonna do?"

"Stop being so dramatic," said Kyle. "If you're so curious about their histories, why don't you ask them?"

At last I gave up on him. Both Kyle and I weren't in our best moods that day. I decided to stop insisting.

Becky, Eric and I were famous at camp. Many people would do anything to be us. There were such great advantages! You would have a cabin for yourself, the opportunity to choose your entire daily schedule, to choose the best bed to sleep on and, at once, have peace. But what they didn't know is that _we_ would do anything to be them. We would have company, friends and roommates. We wouldn't be always worried with the possibility of a monster be waiting to get us when we step outside camp… It was not fun like they thought. Only a kid from the Big Three knew how it was like.

Although I never related to Eric and Becky, I knew our destinies were enlaced somehow. I felt that. We were the most powerful campers in history. And by having the three of us at the same place, all that power concentrated, everyone was in danger. Such an awful feeling, like you were the one to blame.

"When you wake up from death," said Kyle, "let me know, so we can go to dinner."

I hadn't heard the traditional horn blow indicating dinner time. I followed him to the mess hall pavilion. On our way there, we passed near lines of campers, lead by their counselors.

At camp there were a total of twenty cabins. There had been twelve since recently, only for children from the main gods. Then they added new cabins for Hades and the minor gods.

I sat down at table one by myself. This was the worst part on being a kid from the Big Three, even worse than being in constant danger sometimes. I didn't have any siblings, nor at my mortal house. I hated to be alone and to feel lonely.

I took a peek at the other tables. Numbers two and eight were empty, as they were supposed to, which belonged to Hera and Artemis. The two goddesses were maiden forever, thus no demigod children.

The only others who didn't have any mates at their tables were Becky and Eric, from numbers three and thirteen. We couldn't sit together, camp rules. The two of them didn't seem very happy.

Kyle was sitting at table twelve with the satyrs and Dionysus's (Mr. D.'s) kids. I wanted to be beside him.

The nymphs brought trays of food: fruits, bread with cheese and grilled meat. This was a typical dinner at Camp Half-Blood.

"Pepsi Twist," I said to my empty glass.

Immediately, the glass got filled up with soda. This kind of thing was very practical when you were thirsty, you know.

I rose up with the others, leading our plates to the fire at the centre of the pavilion.

When it was my turn, I dumped a piece of meat to the flames and said, "Zeus."

This was kind of an offering to your Olympian parent. Silly, I know, but apparently the gods liked the smell of it. I thought it was extremely bizarre. But I couldn't say that aloud. Gods were quite temperamental. Don't mess with them, this is my advice.

After the end of the dinner, we walked to the Amphitheater. Once there, as always, the Apollo cabin led the sing-alongs around the fire. I loved it. That was the only part of the day that I didn't think about bad things and actually felt home.

The horn blew again, later at night, and lines were formed to go back to the cabins. That was my _least_ favorite part: to go back to the loneliness of cabin number one in the end of the day.

/

Cabin one was quite interesting. And by interesting, I don't mean a nice place to live in.

The ceiling was made to reassemble a cloudy sky. Thunder roared in the room. Once in a while, there was a flash, and I knew it was lightning.

That was already enough to have different cabin. But I didn't mention there was no furniture at all. The beds were, in truth, alcoves carved on the walls. In the center of the cabin was a twelve-foot-tall statue of Zeus.

I clearly had _not_ taken his side of the family. We weren't alike _at all_. Zeus stood in his classic Greek robes, a shield at his side and a lightning bolt ready to be thrown. He had black hair, a funny beard and an intimidating expression. The only thing we had in common were the blue eyes. The rest – my blond hair and face features – were all thanks to my mom.

The cabin looked more like a temple to Zeus than anything else. It was quite hard to have a good night of sleep there. Not while there was a storm inside the room twenty-four/seven and Zeus looking at me with that lightning bolt in his hand.

I threw myself on my alcove and hoped I would have quite sleep for a change, without nightmares.

The truth is I preferred the nightmares to what really happened that night.

I heard screams from afar, but I thought I was dreaming. I pulled the blankets over my head and stood there. But I was already awake. There was no chance on going back to sleep. I muttered as I sat down, the blankets falling on the floor. The clock beside my bed marked 3 a.m., which made me angrier than I already was.

So I heard the screams again. They were desperate screams. I could almost feel the panic.

I jumped out of the alcove, knocking my blankets to the floor. I couldn't go back to sleep. I felt terror as I realized what was happening.

The camp was being attacked.

I grabbed my sword and opened the door to face the unknown.


	2. Pandemonium reaches the boundaries

**Chapter Two – Pandemonium reaches the boundaries**

The shock was bigger than I expected.

Terrible screams were coming from everywhere. Some campers were looking through their windows, trying to find out what was going on. But most of them were running, wearing armors over their PJs, carrying weapons and giving orders.

I grabbed the arm of a son of Nemesis as he passed by and asked, "What's happening?"

He looked at me with round eyes. "You better run," he said. "I've been told that monsters are after the children of the Big Three."

My heart skipped a beat. "What?" I managed. "Where are Becky and Eric? Are they okay?"

"I don't know. But I gotta help the others. Hide yourself. We're going to take care of this."

And then he ran.

Ignoring everything the son of Nemesis said, I ran toward the direction he had disappeared. I could only hear the noise of battle, nothing more. There was no sign of satyrs, nymphs and naiads. Chiron and Mr. D. weren't there as well.

Once I was out of the cabins' area, I faced a pandemonium.

A huge Chimera was attacking everything and everyone on its way. Children of Apollo were trying to find a target to shoot their arrows. I finally saw Chiron, preparing his bow.

Before I could think, I heard more screams coming from somewhere near the boundaries. More monsters? Or just my imagination?

The children of Nemesis that I saw earlier had come to help the Apollo kids, as the children of Ares. Satyrs ran to the monsters too. I searched for Kyle among the goat boys, but I couldn't find him. I was starting to worry.

"Henry! Henry!"

I looked around. I knew that bleat anywhere. And then Kyle was there, nervous as always.

"You have to get out of here!" he shouted, shaking my shoulders. "They're after you and the other two!"

Chiron, for the first time aware about my presence, came to us.

"Henry," he said, "Rebecca and Eric are hidden at the Big House. Join them."

"But–"

"Go," he insisted. "These monsters want you. Let your friends do this. You have to be safe".

"They won't go away until they have us," I said. "If you used us as baits–"

But Chiron wasn't listening anymore. The Chimera was slashing the Nemesis kids. The guys from Ares and the satyrs were trying to help. The Apollo ones were shooting arrows with no break. Kyle and Chiron ran towards there.

Even if I went to help them, I wouldn't be very useful. I was a new kid and I had no knowledge about how to use my powers. I knew I could be very powerful, for sure. But power had no matter without experience.

I had no choice. I obeyed the orders and walked to the Big House.

Walking alone was the worst part. As I got away from the battlefield, the sound of the screams was getting lower. That was suffocating me. I had a long way to make, alone in the dark.

When I was almost reaching the Big House, I bumped into something. Hard. I fell on the ground like a bowling pin.

"What was that?" asked a girl's voice.

"Maybe we've run into a tree?" a boy responded. "It's so dark in here."

I frowned. I knew those voices. "Becky? Eric?" I asked.

"Henry?" Becky asked. "Is that you?"

"It's me."

We all got up. I could barely see anything, but I noticed Eric and Becky were dressed for a fight. They wore chest armors and carried their swords on the sheaths.

"I was told to come here, to hide myself with you," I told them. "But you don't seem to be hiding yourselves at all."

They looked at each other, but said nothing.

"What is going on here?" I asked them.

"We know as much as you do," said Eric. "They told us monsters invaded camp and were after us. Then they sent us here."

"Well, we can't stay inside," said Becky. "Not with everyone defeating the monsters. For us. We need to do something."

"But what are we gonna do?" I questioned.

They didn't have to answer my question. Loud screams were echoing somewhere near the portal. I looked up to the hill.

Some campers were defeating one more monster that I couldn't identify.

"It's a Manticore," said Eric, like he could read my mind.

"Chiron and the others aren't aware about this," I said. "They're busy defeating the Chimera near the arena."

Becky took the lead. "Eric, you go warn them and get some help. Henry, you come with me."

"What?" I said. "But I don't even know how to use my powers! Maybe Eric should–"

But they were already running to opposite sides. I had no choice but to try to keep up with Becky's speed to the top of the hill.

The campers were children of Hephaestus, doing everything they could to stop the monster. The Manticore was throwing spikes – dagger-size spikes.

"Help is coming," Becky said to them.

They only nodded and kept fighting. But one daughter of Hephaestus realized what was going on.

"You two!" she said, pointing at us. "Go away, it's after you!"

The Manticore stopped throwing spikes. And turned around to Becky and me. It threw itself to us immediately.

Becky reacted quicker than I did. She grabbed me and threw ourselves to the ground when the monster was about to hit us.

We rolled down the hill. When I recovered myself, Becky was already running to the monster.

I was in shock for minutes. I just kept sitting there, observing Becky fight. She was amazing. Pointing the sword to the Manticore, she could escape from all the spikes it was throwing. She was very agile.

"Come on, ugly!" Becky yelled. "I know you can do better than that!"

The Manticore snarled and threw another bunch of spikes. Becky ducked out of the one, but one spike hit her sword, which flew across the hill. I thought she would be in trouble.

And then she did the most incredible thing ever.

Becky did something with her hands that I couldn't see very well. A second later, a big water wave appeared out of nowhere. Becky threw this wave to the Manticore.

The monster was furious. It ran, faster than anything I had ever seen, toward Becky. She seemed exhausted. Apparently making that wave consumed much energy. She wasn't going to make it.

So a crack on the earth appeared between Becky and the Manticore. Eric came running, bringing with him children of Athena and Nike, ready to help. From inside Eric's crack, skeleton warriors poured out. I thought they were more monsters, but soon I realized they worked for Eric.

The skeletons threw themselves to the Manticore, distracting it, while Eric and the children of Athena and Nike attacked it. The Manticore fell into Eric's crack.

Eric was exhausted, after summoning those skeleton warriors, so he didn't even have time to react when the Manticore threw a spike that stuck right in his shoulder.

Becky held Eric before he fell, removed the spike from his shoulder and pressed her hand on the wound. But while she did that, another spike popped in her arm.

Eric managed to throw rocks in the crack and the Manticore stopped throwing spikes. But the monster's poison was already inside their bodies.

As soon as I rose up to help them, I saw we had even bigger problems.

Children of Hermes and Hecate were being chased by the three Furies. The children of Hecate were throwing magic spells on the monsters, but nothing seemed to have any effect.

But the monsters immediately forgot about them. The Furies separated and each one grabbed one kid from the Big Three. They dived so fast I only realized what happened when I was already in the sky, flying to the portal.

We were caught, after all. I couldn't even believe it. All efforts were in vain. I was so angry I wanted to scream.

In the grip of the Fury, I was able to feel the power that the sky was giving me. And suddenly, I had an idea. I remembered how Becky had controlled the wave. What if I, Zeus's son, could control the air?

I closed my eyes and imagined the air becoming solid, a big concrete wall in front of the three Furies.

The three of them hit against something invisible. They got disoriented for moments.

"Did you do this, Zeus's puppy?" my Fury yelled, shaking me.

Before I could even answer, the monster tossed me away, really hard. But she barely knew what that would cost to her.

For someone who didn't know how to use their powers, I did great. I stopped in the middle of the air. Simple as that.

"You fly?" the Fury complained.

"Yep," I said. "Zeus's puppy can fly."

I flew towards my Fury and swung the sword through her from the back. She fell on the ground and became a cloud of dust.

The two other Furies were smart enough to hold tightly to their prisoners. But they didn't think about a solution as fast as Becky and Eric did.

Becky closed her eyes. A water swirl appeared and involved her and her Fury. The monster let her go and I stopped Becky in the air. The whirl disappeared and Becky chopped the Fury's head with a single strike. The monster dissolved.

Meanwhile, the third one tried to run away. But she didn't go any farther. Eric summoned a huge rock and threw it on the monster's head. Both of them fell.

I stopped Eric in the air, flew there and after to Becky. I grabbed each one in one arm and put them on the ground safely.

There was no time to check if they were OK or not. The Chimera that once were near the arena was now running to where we were, as children of Apollo, Nemesis and Ares tried to keep up with it. The satyrs and Chiron were running too.

Eric, Becky and I, injured or not, ran to the Chimera. Eric threw rocks on it, which helped, because it stopped running. But the monster was furious and spilled fire against us.

Becky reacted quickly. She made a water wall in front of us to protect us from the flames. It made the monster mad. With a speed I didn't find possible for such a big monster, the Chimera hit Becky and Eric with her tail. Both flew across the battlefield and fell hard almost near the Big House. And there they stood.

I flew above the Chimera and swung my sword through it, on a vulnerable area. It worked, but not before it hit me with its tail. And I was falling.

I felt like I was being burned alive. The pain was agonizing. I could feel the poison as I was about to hit the ground like a pancake.

Then everything went dark.

/

I woke up with the smell of the strawberry fields. I was at the Big House, lying on a bed in front of an open window. In the room were more beds, all of them with an injured camper. There were at least twelve of them, only in that room. Certainly there were more. But I couldn't see them, because they were covered by blankets. Beside all beds were some ambrosia and nectar. Someone had been taking care of the injured very well.

I finally checked my injuries. I had nothing broken, but every part of my body hurt. My tongue tasted like acid.

Then I discovered who was taking care of the patients. A sixteen-year-old girl entered the infirmary. She had straight black hair, shoulder-length, olive skin and black eyes. I recognized her as Aileen Shaw, daughter of Apollo and the best healer of camp. She wasn't defeating the monsters the day before, certainly to take care of the ones who were later.

"How are the other campers?" I asked her as I tried to sit down. "Becky, Eric, Kyle and the others?"

"Relax, they're recovering themselves," said Aileen, pushing me back to bed. "There are many injured campers, but nothing exceptionally complicated."

"Good," I said, relaxing. "Very good".

Aileen examined me. "You're tough for a thirteen-year-old. You're recovering yourself very well, but you need to rest more before I can allow you to leave."

She gave me more ambrosia and told me to stay still for the rest of the day.

During the morning, Aileen had been busy. The injured campers woke up gradually and needed attention. I basically took naps all morning. I still felt dizzy, though.

The nymphs brought lunch to us. And right after that, Kyle came to see me. He looked physically well, no visible injuries. But, of course, he was mad at me. _Really_ mad.

"We told you to stay at the Big House!" he shouted as soon as he arrived. "You do realize that you could've been captured, don't you? Or worse, you could've been killed! Then our efforts would've been in vain! Have you thought about that, Mister Hero?"

I tried not to laugh. Kyle was very serious, so I thought I shouldn't laugh unless I wanted my life to end.

"If Becky, Eric and I weren't there, maybe the chaos would've been even worse," I said calmly. "We did help a bit, you know?"

He didn't answer me. I could see he was still mad. There were several minutes of silence as he stood there, staring at me. But soon that twisted-up frown dissolved from his face and a smile took its place.

"So, he flies."

"Shut up," I said to him, smiling a little bit.

We talked for an hour or something like that. Our talking wasn't about the battle. Like nothing had happened.

When the afternoon was about to end, we were allowed to go back to our cabins. Then I finally started to think about some things.

What had happened to our protector dragon, Peleus? How the monsters had passed through the portal? Why they wanted the children of the Big Three? Whom were they obeying?

When I arrived at Cabin One, I was still frustrated. I took a long shower to relax, took off my PJs that I was still wearing since the battle, like all the injured campers, and put on clean clothes.

I could barely organize my ideas when someone knocked the door. I opened it up and Becky and Eric were there.

The two of them seemed awful. Pale and weak. Becky had a scar right below her hair line, on her forehead, and her arm was immobilized with plaster. Eric had his arm in a sling. They had already put on clean clothes.

"We need to talk," said Becky, extremely serious.

"Erm… sure."

We went to the common area among the cabins and sat down.

"So, first of all," said Becky, "we want to say you were brilliant last night. Congrats."

"No, you two were more brilliant," I said.

"But, for a new kid, you were awesome," said Eric. "Becky and I have more experience, so it's normal."

"But it wasn't because of that you came," I said firmly.

They didn't speak immediately, but I knew I was right.

"Chiron will call a council later, for sure," said Eric. "But we preferred to talk to you earlier. After all, the three of us are the targets here."

"Yeah, I've been thinking about it," I said. "But I couldn't find any answers."

"Same," said Becky. "Especially the thing about the Furies. Eric is the son of Hades, so why would the Furies go after him?"

"They're obeying someone else," said Eric. "I'm sure of it."

"I think we're going to face another Great Prophecy," said Becky.

Eric became suddenly nervous. After a moment of shock, he said, "But we barely got through one!"

"I know," said Becky, clearly worried.

"What is a Great Prophecy?" I asked, feeling really stupid.

Luckily, the two of them were very patient with me.

"Some years ago," explained Eric, "there was a huge prophecy, about a demigod from the Big Three that had the power of saving or destroying Olympus. And Becky thinks that there will be another Great Prophecy about the three of us."

I took a while to be used to that information. I wasn't quite pleased with this idea. It was so much responsibility for three thirteen-year-olds.

Then there was silence, each one lost in thoughts. My eyes were led to the necklaces Eric and Becky wore. Every camper had one, each necklace with a clay bead representing a summer or year of training. I was a new kid, so I had none. But Becky had five of them and Eric, four. Neither of the oldest campers had so many beads. Why had they come to camp so young?

The horn blew. Dinner time. The three of us went to the mess hall together.

Dinner wasn't pleasant. It never was for me, but this time it was awful for everybody. They still were all shocked, fearing for their lives, aware that monsters could freely attack the camp in any minute. Nobody talked.

At the end of dinner, I realized Mr. D. wasn't there. I was asking myself where he could be when Chiron rose up.

"Everyone is in shock because of last night, and that's completely normal," he said. "Many of you might be asking how the monsters could get in. Peleus, our dragon, got sick that very night and couldn't protect the portal. We can't say for sure that it was all planned, but we can't say for sure it wasn't either."

No one wanted to admit it, but we all knew Chiron was right.

"No fire at the amphitheater tonight," said Chiron. "Instead, the counselors will attend to a council, while the other campers wait inside their cabins."

I liked being a counselor. Of course, I was the only person in my cabin, but I think it would be awful to wait inside while a person was there representing your god parent. It was cool to participate. I felt important.

The twenty counselors and Kyle, the satyrs' representative, followed Chiron to the where the council took place. The others went to their cabins, leaving them with one only option: waiting for their counselors to come back with information.

Well, nothing could prepare me for what was said at the council.


	3. The Big Three Demigods

**Chapter Three – The Big Three Demigods**

The council took place in the rec room, at the Big House, and the counselors sat around the Ping-Pong table. It wasn't quite convenient, but it was what we could get.

When everyone took their sits, Chiron cleared his throat. "There is no point in delaying things even more," he said. "I'll get straight to the point."

Everyone looked uneasy, but no one said anything.

"Something serious is going on," Chiron continued. "You all remember the Great Prophecy from the past. And I have no doubts that a new Great Prophecy is on its way."

The campers tensed. They started to whisper to each other, but Chiron cleared his throat again and everyone silenced.

"Every one of you know that here at camp we have one kid from each god from the Big Three," Chiron said. "They are the Big Three Demigods: Henry from Zeus, Rebecca from Poseidon and Eric from Hades."

Everybody stared at the three of us. I felt really uncomfortable. _Don't blush_, I told myself, _don't blush_.

"These three are the most powerful demigods of this era," Chiron told us. "Apart. Together, the concentration of power is absurdly huge."

There was a pause before Chiron continued. "Someone wants to kill the children of the Big Three. One motive is obvious: because of the power. The other: I'm sure the new Great Prophecy will be about Henry, Rebecca and Eric."

There were whispers once again. An unpleasant chill pervaded my body. I didn't dare looking at Becky and Eric. I didn't feel well.

In the last month, my life had turned upside down. I had discovered that my father was Zeus, my best friend was a satyr and I was one of the most powerful demigods in history (and I wasn't sure about that until last night) along with Eric and Becky. I was handling with all that quite well. But the fact that I was part of the newest Great Prophecy, a huge and dangerous thing, which was offering a high level of risk to me and everyone around me, was almost driving me crazy.

But I forced myself to remember I wasn't alone in this. Those two people with who I hadn't talked until the battle were with me. I had always known our destinies were linked. We had to be together.

"…the fact Peleus is still sick, there will be patrols at the portal twenty four hours a day," Chiron was saying. "One hour per camper. Everyone will take turns, no exceptions. I will provide a schedule. By dawn, no one will be allowed to get out of the cabins, unless if it's their turn to patrol. After dinner, no one gets out. If you get caught, you'll be punished. The training will be way more intense. I know it's not the funniest thing to do, but it's necessary."

Strict rules. All because of one stupid prophecy. I felt responsible for all this.

"I will speak privately with Henry, Rebecca and Eric," Chiron said. "The rest of you can return to your respective cabins."

One by one, the other counselors left until only the four of us were in the room.

"You disobeyed me yesterday, children," said Chiron severely. "You didn't stay hidden. The consequences could've been fatal. However, you had a wonderful performance in the battle. I believe you are ready for what comes next."

My arms were shaking. I tried to make them stop. I didn't want to look like coward. Becky and Eric seemed nervous, but not as much.

"It is not the first time in history we have one demigod from each of the Big Three," Chiron explained. "But now it's a new generation of demigods, holding this camp together. New Big Three children have been born. This can have triggered someone's rage. And this someone is the same one who sent those monsters here, to punish you."

I dared to glance at Becky and Eric. They were watching Chiron without blinking. I turned back to the activities director.

"I need full attention now, children," Chiron said. "What I'm going to tell you next can be very shocking: the Big Three's whereabouts are unknown. Olympus is in chaos. We aren't able to communicate with anyone there. Mr. D. himself had to go back."

If I was afraid before, now I was terrified. How could the most important gods from Olympus just disappear? Who would've had the power to do something like that?

"But," Becky said, "when you say you don't know their whereabouts… That doesn't mean they've been kidnapped, does it? They were forced to disappear."

"That's the point," said Chiron. "The gods weren't kidnapped, it is out of question. They were trying to stop someone to go after you. This someone doesn't want you to live enough to concretize the Great Prophecy. Now your fathers are in trouble."

Those words kept echoing inside my head. I had never talked to my father. He had never shown he cared about me, until the brief moment when he claimed me as his son a month ago. And then suddenly he was risking himself for me. I didn't know what to think.

"What are we going to do about all this?" I asked, letting my indifference appear a little bit.

"For now, nothing," Chiron said. "You have to recover yourselves completely from last night's injuries. Besides, our Oracle isn't around."

Rachel Elizabeth Dare was Camp Half-Blood's Oracle. She was a mortal girl, so she only came when necessary. She hadn't sent news since I arrived at camp.

"Chiron, what about the Great Prophecy?" asked Eric. "Do you already know what it says?"

Chiron became uncomfortable. "I must admit I do not," he confessed. "But before Olympus' isolation, I was informed by the Big Three themselves the prophecy was about the three of you, and that they were doing everything they could about it. Your future is huge, children. You will know the prophecy when the gods think you're ready. I know you are extraordinaire children, but the gods are the ones who decide the right moment."

Ah, well, I couldn't say I wasn't relieved that the gods had decided not to tell us the prophecy. I didn't think I was ready at all. Still, a small part of me was angry. Why didn't they think I was ready to hear it?

"Meanwhile," said Chiron, "you have to follow the rules stated at the council. And, as soon as you can, train. Train like you never did before. Be ready. You will be needed anytime."

When we were leaving the room, Chiron added, "All things discussed here are confidential. The others will know when they have to know."

I nodded. Chiron knew I was going to tell Kyle everything he told us.

Becky, Eric and I left the Big House together. We didn't talk on our way to the cabins. I couldn't think of anything to tell them. All that had hit me so fast I couldn't prepare myself for the impact.

Kyle was waiting for me sitting in front of Cabin One, as I expected. I said bye to Eric and Becky and entered the cabin with Kyle.

We sat down somewhere afar from Zeus's big statue inside the cabin. After all that madness, I didn't want to see him. Even if it was only his statue.

"Chiron told me not to tell anything to anybody, mate," I said.

"It's all right," he said. "I supposed he would."

I stared at my own hands. I already wasn't feeling well, now I was with Kyle I was feeling worse.

"I may not know what is going on, Henry," said Kyle, "but what I do know is that you and the other two are doomed. Being part of a Great Prophecy is already terrifying, and I know there's something else for you to face. I just want you to know I'll protect you as long as I can. I'm your protector, after all."

I smiled. I never had such true friendship. He had been my friend all along, even knowing about the level of risk I offered to him.

"Thanks, mate," I said to him. "You're the best friend I could ever ask for."

The horn blew, which I presumed that indicated the curfew. Kyle said bye and I prepared myself to sleep, feeling lonely once more. I was emotionally frayed. All I wanted was to rest.

Of course I couldn't rest at all. Instead, I had a nightmare.

Certainly, I wasn't in Long Island anymore. I was somewhere west of the United States. How was I so sure, I had no idea. It was a big city, I could see. Judging by the color of the sky, I presumed it was around 7 a.m. People were going to work, kids were going to school, and there I was, without knowing what I was doing there.

Suddenly, I heard a voice. It seemed to echo in the whole city. Only I was demonstrating to hear it, though.

_Hail, son of the lightning, _said the voice. _Hail, boy whose destiny is sealed by the divine prophecy. The wave and the rock, to whom the prophecy also refers to, will be your allies, your only hope to complete this task alive. Don't be a fool and don't try to do everything by yourself, or you will fail. Beat your fatal flaw, dear boy._

Soon after, the same voice struggled as if it was being choked and silenced.

The dream changed.

I was inside a bedroom. The walls were blue and covered by drawings of clouds. There was a simple white baby wardrobe and a cradle in the middle of the room. Lying there was an asleep baby, snoring loudly. His dark-blonde hair was messy, and his eyes were a bit open, revealing a bright blue color. He turned around constantly, like he was hyperactive even asleep.

The room's door opened and my mom got in. She was several years younger. Her blonde hair was braided down her back and she was wearing sleeping robes. I'd never paid attention on how beautiful she was. She went to the cradle and observed the baby.

"My little Henry," she murmured. "Doesn't even know your huge destiny. But I'm sure you will do well. You will save the world."

"Of course he will," said a proud voice.

My dad was by the door. He was so alike the statue in Cabin One it was frightening. It was as if he'd just stepped out of a mythology book. His long black hair and beard made him look suspiciously like a hippie. His blue eyes were just the same as mine.

Dad and Mom smiled at each other. I could see how deep their love was.

Zeus stood beside my mother, looking at me proudly. It made me smile.

Then, all at once, Zeus became very worried. He enlaced my mom's fingers on his.

"What's wrong, love?" my mom asked.

Zeus looked uneasy. "If I had known earlier… I'd never…"

Mom squeezed his hand. "We'll figure something out. Besides, you _have _been with other women. Hera must be used to it."

"No, no," Zeus said, almost impatiently. "Hera is not the matter here. It's Henry."

My mom drew his jaw line with her finger. "That oath between you and your brothers is beyond stupid. It's time you ended it."

"Carolyn." Zeus looked into her eyes, which were hazel-colored. "You do not understand. If I knew earlier about that prophecy, I'd never…"

"You'd never have dated me, is that it?" My mom's voice was hurt. "You'd never have had this beautiful baby?"

"Carolyn, I love you. And I love Henry. But I'm putting both of you in constant danger. I cannot do this anymore. It'll be best, for all of us. I'm sorry, Carolyn. I'm sorry, Henry."

He got away from the cradle, letting Mom's hand go and walking to the door.

"Wait!" my mom shouted. "Where are you going? Zeus!"

"I can't put you through this," he said. "I love you, Carolyn, but I have to go."

Mom left the room running. The baby opened his eyes as he heard his mommy scream.

"Zeus! Come back, please! You were the only man I've ever loved! Don't leave me! Zeus!"

Baby me started to cry. I heard my mom cry.

I woke up shaking severely and sweating. I took deep breaths as I tried to make my heart stop beating so fast. I didn't know what to think.

Who was that voice from west? What it had said was almost all clear. I was the son of the lightning, obviously Zeus, and my destiny was sealed by the Great Prophecy. Becky and Eric were the wave and the rock (children of Poseidon and Hades respectively), were part of the prophecy too and were going to help me through it. Without them I would die.

But, what about the last sentence? _Beat your fatal flaw_. What was that supposed to mean?

So I started to analyze the second part of the dream. My mom knew I would be in the Great Prophecy. Zeus had told her. He trusted her enough to tell her such important information. She knew everything. They were so in love.

I finally understood why my mom seemed so sad all the time. The only man she had ever loved left her with a potentially dangerous demigod son and never talked to her anymore.

I was beginning to feel sympathy for Zeus. Now I couldn't feel anything, except repulse. He had abandoned my mother, he had abandoned _me_. I had indeed seen guilty in his eyes for putting his wife and kid in risk. He was truly scared about my fate, which wasn't good. But he still had abandoned us.

I took a shower to recover myself from the disturbing night and went to the mess hall for the breakfast.

I didn't pay attention on the food or on the campers. I didn't even think about my dream. Chiron would talk about the patrol schedules that day, and it was all I was interested in.

"Unlike you all think," he said after breakfast, "I didn't prepare the schedules. Not yet. I thought about something way more interesting."

I was half anxious, half worried.

"I prepared a treasure hunt here at camp," Chiron said. "It will be individual and you will have to follow some clues. The camper who finds the chest will be out of the obligation to patrol."

Everyone was excited with the idea. No risking, no sleep interruptions… I was excited myself.

"The treasure hunt will begin at 3 p.m.," said Chiron. "We will meet at the climbing wall. It will only have one winner, no allies, not even with siblings."

During the morning, the campers were doing particular rough training. They barely were able to breathe. All I did was taking pegasi rides, and it wasn't even for training, it was for relaxing.

When I was leaving the stables, I intended to go back to my cabin to wait for lunch. However, when I was by the armory, I saw Becky going to the arena, carrying her sword.

Kyle's voice echoed in my head. _What if they find cool your initiative? They like to make friends as everyone else._

Now I knew that, whatever I would do in the future, Becky and Eric would be with me no matter what, I couldn't pretend nothing was happening. I couldn't run away from them or ignore them. That little act could be the first of several steps I had to climb.

I went to the arena.

When I got there, Becky was too busy to notice me. I sat at the bleachers and watched her silently.

I finally remembered why I was so afraid of talking to her. As I had told Kyle once, she was scary when she was fighting.

With her arm immobilized, she still could fight pretty well. She swung her sword against battle dummies camp had for training. Although they weren't real people, her ability was undeniable. I had never seen someone as good as her. She slashed and slashed non-stop.

After twenty minutes or something like that, Becky finally dropped the sword and drank from the water bottle she had brought with her. She drank all the water inside the bottle without a break. And then she saw me.

"Henry, hi," she said, still panting.

"I didn't mean to spy on you," I said, raising my arms showing surrender.

"No, no," Becky said, grabbing her sword and coming to me. "No problems. It's just… No one ever came to watch me train. I'm glad you did."

We left the arena together and walked toward the lake.

"I pitied those dummies," I said to her.

She laughed. "They will buy new ones soon," Becky told me. "Chiron said the dummies were too old and allowed me to destroy them whenever I pleased."

"Well, it was quite impressive," I said. "You're amazing."

Her face glowed. "Thank you! Do you think so?"

"I do, I really do. Where did you learn to fight like that?"

It was an innocent question, of course, I never measured the effect my words would make before I said them. That was ADHD's fault. But Becky's face turned sad. She did her best to hide it, but I saw it.

"Let's say it was with life experience," Becky said at last.

We stopped in front of the lake and sat on the edge like Kyle and I used to do.

"I know, I've asked the wrong question, haven't I?" I said. "I always do this. I'm sorry."

"Hey, relax, flying boy," she said. "That's all right. Everyone asks me the same question, it's not only you. Apparently, I'm scary when I fight."

I felt ashamed when she said that, but she didn't notice it.

Becky dipped her hands on the lake and I observed her. Immediately her appearance changed from tired to healthy.

I paid attention on her face. Her eyes were too shiny, and I knew they were full of tears. Her hair was untied this time, but naturally messy, like she didn't care about it at all.

What were the big secrets Becky was keeping for herself? Were they so painful she couldn't even talk about them?

"Right," I said. "Shouldn't we call Eric? See if he wants to join us?"

"Eric likes to be by himself," said Becky. "He rarely wants to be around real people, but, when we wants to, he always looks for them."

_Around real people_? What was that supposed to mean? Would Eric have such big secrets as Becky?

"Have you trained for the treasure hunt?" she changed the subject suddenly. I got the message: she didn't want to talk about herself or Eric.

"To be honest, no, I haven't," I said. "What are my chances? You have five years of training, Eric four and even the newest campers have at least one. What about me?"

"If you keep thinking that way, you will never make it," Becky said. "Try it. Who knows? Even if you don't win, at least you will know you did your best."

"Easy for you to say it, you're a skillful athlete and warrior. I only have advantage at the sky."

Becky raised an eyebrow at me. And I finally realized what she was trying to tell me. She laughed and stood.

"I'll train a little more before lunch," she said. "Think about it, OK? Focus on your ability."

I watched her turn around and walk toward the climbing wall.

I realized I liked Becky. She wasn't intimidating as I expected. She was actually a kind and nice person. It was pleasant to be around her. I wished everyone knew that.

I decided to follow Becky's advice and went to the forest. I didn't want to be seen practicing. Not only because I would look like an idiot, but because the campers would discover the only thing that would give me a chance to win that treasure hunt.

At the forest, I trained roughly, more than I had ever trained in my life. I practiced speed, height, obstacles, diving… I didn't stop until I heard the horn indicating lunch. I was exhausted and hungry, so I went to the mess hall without complaining.

After a fair meal, Chiron said to us to stay inside of our cabins during the afternoon so he could prepare the treasure hunt. I thought it was going to happen. I thanked Becky mentally for convincing me to train.

I was getting really nervous waiting inside my cabin. I took a shower to get rid of the training's sweat, but after that there weren't many things I could do. I couldn't train, because the cabin was too small.

When it was finally 3 p.m., I ran to the climbing wall with the other cabins. Children of Athena were carrying loads of books. When speaking of riddles, they would be unbeatable rivals. However, when speaking of physical terms, many cabins would be hard to beat. The only ones I wasn't worried about were the children of Demeter, Aphrodite, Iris and Hypnos.

We stood around Chiron and he shouted to be heard. "The chest where is the right to be dismissed from the patrols is hidden somewhere in the camp. When you find it, blow the horn. Prepare yourselves! GO!"

Everyone started to run, in an unbelievable speed. As I was a slow runner, I could see how fast those campers were.

They chose places to search. Some of them went to the forest, others to the beach and the rest of them I couldn't see. That was when I flew.

It was a wonderful feeling. Not only because almost no one (or no one) in the world could do that, but because I had way more freedom than other people.

Well, everything happened more quickly than Chiron had planned, I think.

We were supposed to look for clues before finding the chest. But I kind of found it directly. I had way more visibility than the others. It was unavoidable.

While I flew above camp, my eyes were let to Arts and Crafts room, which campers could use on their free time. Floating above the roof, there was a shining, medium-size, red "X", which couldn't be seen from the ground. I flew toward Arts and Crafts, landed on the ground, entered the room and was face-to-face with a bronze automaton.

Hephaestus's kids had been busy that summer. They had made up to eleven automatons of different shapes. I didn't know why, but I figured it was a request from their father, because they'd put all their efforts in those robots. And maybe they'd have some use for camp. Now I understood why.

This one wasn't their best work. It had a humanoid shape, a little shorter than me and looked a little mashed on the side.

Not very sure about what to do, I raised my sword. "Am I supposed to fight you?" I asked the automaton. "I know how hard the Hephaestus guys worked on you."

To my surprise, the automaton said in a metallic voice, "They want to get done with me anyway. I'm one of the first they made, and I didn't come out as perfectly. So now I'm stuck here, guarding this stupid chest for you. So go ahead. Get it over with."

I felt bad for the poor robot. I don't know if that was a proper feeling, since the thing wasn't even alive, but that didn't matter.

I studied it. Some of the pieces were falling apart. I had an idea.

"Leave the broken parts," I told the automaton. "Run to the woods. The others will think I destroyed you."

The automaton bowed. "Thank you, master. Forever yours." It gave me a small piece with a button. "Press this, and I'll find you, master."

The robot shook its metal body and many pieces fell to the floor with clinks. Then the robot ran out of Arts and Crafts.

I walked forward to the chest. It had been hidden behind a painting of the god Hermes with his swimwear at the beach, which was about the weirdest thing I'd ever seen. His kids had a strange sense of humor.

The chest was big and red. I opened it and inside it was the camp's horn. I grabbed it and froze.

It wasn't fair. The other campers couldn't fly. I didn't deserve to win. However, no one had said I wasn't allowed to fly.

I blew the horn.

I heard people swearing, suddenly stopping, and screaming with anger… It was a huge variety of sounds. Then Chiron appeared by the door. "Come on, Henry."

Outside, all campers were there with twisted-up frowns, waiting to give their least pleasant stares at the miserable winner. I searched for Kyle, Eric and Becky in the crowd, but they weren't on the front rows. Seeing them would've given me more confidence.

"Congratulations, Henry," said Chiron. "You are dismissed from the patrols. You were so quick on finding the chest."

He started to clap, and everyone followed him, not as cheerful.

"Now go back to your cabins," he said. "I will prepare the schedules right away."

All campers went to their cabins, angry and muttering with each other.

I had done it, after all. I was dismissed from the patrols. I wouldn't be in danger.

Then why did I feel so bad?


	4. Even more rough training

**Chapter Four – Even more rough training**

The weeks that followed were a total nightmare. I had never had such awful times at Camp Half-Blood.

All campers were angry at me because I had been dismissed from the patrols. They had to dedicate many parts of the day to take care of camp, and that plus all extra hours of training were making everyone mad and moody. I felt tired myself. I had trained much more during those weeks than on my entire first month at camp.

I hardly could see Kyle, Becky and Eric. Among all training, we barely had time to eat and rest, much less to see each other. I felt really lonely. After all, I would like to talk to someone who didn't hate me. Assuming they were still my friends, of course. I wasn't sure about anything anymore.

But what was comforting me was the fact Chiron's method was working at least. No more attacks since that night. I had thought it would be dangerous to let campers alone at the portal. The chances of a monster hurting someone were huge. But nothing had happened. All was normal. For a while.

However, the news from outside weren't good at all. I occasionally paid some drachmas to the counselor from the Hermes cabin to watch the news on his smuggled TV. And whenever I watched them, there was some natural disaster occurring somewhere in the country. Of course no one knew that, because the bad weather always passed around camp. But I was sure Chiron knew. He just didn't want to tell anyone for now. Something related to the prophecy, I bet.

What was really making me exhausted was the fact that I had the same dream every night: the voice from the west, then baby me and my parents. Every single night. I was starting to memorize the lines. My hypothesis was it was a sign for me to mention my nightmares with someone. But I didn't take courage to do that yet.

/

After the first week of rough training, it was Saturday morning. A chariot race had been settled for that afternoon, but it was canceled for the lack of contestants. The races were popular at camp (after the decrease of the injury levels, naturally), but the campers were all overwhelmed, nobody had time to prepare a chariot in time for the race.

I was watching the traditional volleyball match between the satyrs and the Apollo children. I asked myself how they were still able to find energy to play.

Aileen Shaw, the healer, waved to me from the middle of the court. I waved back while scrutinized the court, but I concluded Kyle wasn't playing. It must've been his patrol duty. I checked my watch. If I was right, his hour was almost over.

I was hoping to tell Kyle about the dream haunting me. But I thought about it again. The only people who had to know about it were Chiron, Becky and Eric. However, even if I wouldn't talk about the dream, I still wanted to see Kyle. I missed him.

I soon caught a glimpse of him while he was going downhill. He seemed very tired. He was nothing like my cheerful friend.

When Kyle approached, I waved to him. He made a gesture for me to follow him. We went to our place, the lake.

"How is your non-patrol life?" asked Kyle when we sat down.

"Almost as exhausting as the others'," I said, offering him an empty juice can. "How was your patrol today?"

"Normal," he told me, biting the can. "As a matter of fact, every patrol of mine was peaceful."

"What you mean?"

Kyle chewed his can. "I'm just tired of watching that stupid portal, man. Of course I don't want camp to be attacked again, but… I wanted something, _anything_, to happen. Know what I mean?"

"I think so," I said. "Sometimes, we get so used to fight that, when we have peace, we feel lost."

We talked for some time. Meanwhile, I tried to take courage: or I would tell him about the "X" over the roof of Arts and Crafts during the treasure hunt, or about my dream. I couldn't let Kyle go without mentioning either of these things to him. I couldn't hide them from my best friend.

"Erm, Kyle?" I finally asked.

"Yeah?" he said absently.

"About the treasure hunt–"

"I know."

I blinked. "You do?"

"Of course I do," said Kyle, nodding.

"And aren't you angry?"

"Me? Nah, I don't care about it. I thought _you_ would be angry."

I was starting to be very confused.

"Why would I be angry?" I asked.

"You're right, after all Chiron was just trying to help you."

"Trying to _help_ me?"

"Blimey, Henry. What the heck are you talking about?"

"What the heck are _you_ talking about?"

Kyle looked around. "About the mark over Arts and Crafts!" he said with a lower voice. "Wasn't that you were trying to tell me?"

"Yeah…" But I soon realized what was going on. I lowered my voice even more, "Chiron cheated for me to win, is that what you're telling me? Did he put the 'X' on the roof because he knew I was going to fly and see the mark?"

"I thought you knew!" Kyle said.

"Who else knows that?" I demanded.

"Only Becky, Eric and I."

I was completely mad. I felt humiliated. I had to take deep breaths not to scream.

"Please, tell me Chiron only told you this _after_ the treasure hunt," I said.

"Of course!" said Kyle.

But it didn't help me on managing my anger. I rose up and walked to the Big House. Kyle didn't try to stop me.

I found Chiron at the porch on his wheelchair, reading a book in Ancient Greek.

"You cheated for me!" I shouted at him.

Chiron, who didn't change his kind expression, looked up. "Hello, Henry. Would you like to talk to me?"

"Yes!"

"Well, then come in."

I followed Chiron inside the Big House. I had gotten to see very little of the house when I got injured. I only was familiar with the infirmary. However, I had indeed passed by the living room on the exit (I wasn't awake when I got in), I just hadn't paid much attention to it. The furniture was very traditional, and there was a fireplace which made the room quite warm.

"Please, sit down, Henry," said Chiron kindly.

I jumped on the sofa. I was still very angry, and the way Chiron was all calm was driving me crazy.

"So, tell me, child," said the centaur. "You seem a little upset."

"Upset?" I shouted, but then I tried to be less disrespectful. "Chiron, you put the mark over the Arts and Crafts room during the treasure hunt, didn't you?"

"Indeed," he said.

"You knew I was going to fly and see it, right?"

"Yes."

"But why did you do this?" I asked. "It wasn't fair with the other campers who trained heavily. Why me? Why not Becky, Eric, Kyle or anyone else? Everyone deserved to win."

Chiron paused before resuming. "What you have to understand, Henry, is that the other campers are used to be half-bloods," he said. "They have experience and they know how to defend themselves. You have a lot of power, I can't deny it, but you've been introduced to this world very recently. That plus the fact you're from the Big Three and part of the new Great Prophecy make your permanence outside the portal even more dangerous. That's why I worked hard on it for you to win."

"So why didn't you tell me?" I asked. "Why did you tell to my friends and not to me?"

"Because I knew this would be your reaction," said Chiron with a wink. "Besides, it's better this way, than to simply tell the campers you would be excluded from the patrols because you wouldn't handle it."

Now that he said that, I realized how much sense it made. I felt ashamed.

"I'm sorry for my behavior earlier," I said.

Chiron shook his head. "Don't worry, child. You're very just."

I sat there, in a dilemma. I was thinking whether I should tell Chiron about my dream or not. But I decided I would talk to Becky and Eric first.

"Thank you, sir," I said.

When I left the Big House, I tried to find Kyle, but he wasn't where I had left him. I felt guilty. On the first time in days we were able to talk, I had screwed things up. I would apologize as soon as I could.

Those were the only memorable events of that week. Kyle and I didn't see each other again. No news from Becky and Eric as well. All campers and I were training like lifers, and we nearly couldn't reach our cabins after the training.

/

On the end of the third week, during dinner, Chiron announced, "I'm proud to see you all are exceeding expectations. I can see every day you become more skillful and strong. But if I make you train more than you can handle, you won't be able to defend yourselves in need because you will be too tired. Peleus is better now, which means: no more patrols!"

Everyone exclaimed cheerfully.

"As a reward for your dedication," resumed Chiron, "during the following week, you won't need to train. On the next Monday, you will resume training, and the load will be lower."

I was relieved. If there was another week of intensive training, I would die of fatigue.

/

On Saturday which ensued those announces, I slept on and on. I missed breakfast, I missed lunch and woke up in the middle of the afternoon. I was feeling so restful. I wasn't even bothering with the fact I had had the same dream _again_.

Later, I decided to go outside, where sun was shining in an inviting way. I sat on the benches of the common area among the cabins. Then I felt someone join me.

It was Eric. I couldn't avoid being surprised, after all I still remembered what Becky had said. _He rarely wants to be around real people, but, when we wants to, he always looks for them._ That made me feel important.

"Hey," he told me. "I can't find Becky, and you're the only person I want to talk to besides her."

"Anything about the quest or the Great Prophecy?" I asked.

"Yes," he answered. "But here many people can hear it. Let's go for a walk?"

"Sure."

We got away from the cabins together. When no one was around, Eric said, "I received a… Erm, I don't know how to call it. Let's say it was a kind of message. It said we had to hurry, that our time was running out."

"But how can we hurry?" I asked. "Chiron is avoiding the quest, we don't even know what's entirely going on and Rachel isn't around!"

Eric nodded, and I could see he was thinking through carefully. I took the opportunity.

"There's something I have to tell you," and I told him my entire dream, feeling immensely relieved.

Eric listened without interrupting. In the end, he said, "I've been dreaming with my parents too. I think the gods are trying to contact us."

"Yeah, but it's not what's disturbing me," I said. "That city, that voice, those sayings…" I suddenly remembered one thing I was in doubt about. "What's a fatal flaw?"

He shrugged. "Well, the name is self-explanatory, I guess. It's a flaw you have that can make you die if you don't manage it."

"Do you know yours?"

"Yes. I don't like to talk about it."

"Oh," I said, blushing. "Sorry."

"Don't worry," Eric assured. "Look, according to what you told me, I think your fatal flaw can be related to wanting to do everything on your own to protect us. You know, Becky and I are with you, and we all have to risk ourselves. Don't try to change that, OK?"

I nodded, quite grateful. I thought about that. My fatal flaw… I had never thought a simple flaw could put someone at risk of death. And Eric was right about it. I had to make an effort to don't let that flaw cause harm to my friends.

"We have to talk to Becky," I said. "She has to be aware of all we discussed."

We found her pretty quickly. She was sitting on the edge of the lake, dipping her feet in the water, like she always did when she wanted to recover herself.

"Hello boys," she said when she saw us. "What can I do for you?"

"It's not what you can do," Eric said. "It's what you can listen to."

He told her about the message he had received. She seemed upset when he finished.

"Eric, you told me you were going to stop!" she said. "It's not healthy. And I'm telling you this because I care!"

"I am trying, Becky, I really am!" he said. "You know it's not easy. Anyways, it doesn't matter. I'm telling you, the message _came_ to me."

Becky didn't seem convinced. I had no idea what they were talking about. I wasn't enough important to know their secrets. Two of my three only friends at camp didn't tell me their secrets. Great.

Acting like nothing happened, I told Becky about my dream.

"These days I had a dream just like yours," she said. "The sayings were different, I can't remember them. And I had a dream with my parents too."

"They're signs," I said. "The quest is about to start."

"And, apparently, our fatal flaws are going to mess things up during the mission," said Eric.

"Chiron ought to know this," said Becky. "We have to talk to him. We can't wait anymore!"

But, when we arrived at the Big House, Chiron wasn't the first person we met.

Becky and Eric entered the house right away, like it was their uncle's. They had that freedom because they were living at camp longer than all campers had. Chiron had raised both of them. I followed them inside, feeling a little bothered. Being a new kid was tough when you had veteran friends.

And a surprise was sitting on the living room.


	5. The prophecy

**Chapter Five – The prophecy**

I had never seen Rachel Dare before. I knew she was our Oracle and everything, but I really didn't expect to meet her at Chiron's living room.

The first thing I noticed was her hair, red, almost the color of the fire which was lighting the room. She had a splash of freckles across her face, too.

"Hello there!" she greeted. "We were talking about you at this very moment."

Eric and Becky greeted Rachel normally, because they already knew each other, but when it was my turn, the red-headed girl said, "You're the other one from the prophecy, I suppose. Henry, yes?"

I nodded.

"I was willing to meet you," Rachel said.

We took our seats and Chiron said, "Rachel came as fast as she could, but she had difficulties to get out of school in the middle of the activities."

"Well, it was only part of the thing," said Rachel. "The flights were being canceled because of wind problems. Winds with more than one hundred kilometers per hour."

She looked at me. She didn't need to say anything else. I understood immediately.

"They are being forced, aren't they?" asked Becky. "This someone who is imprisoning them is making them do this, so we can start the quest at once."

"You're correct, child," said Chiron. "The whole country is suffering from climate change. We all know only the gods could be causing it."

"That's why I'm here," said Rachel. "I'm just waiting for the spirit of Delphi to manifest itself. You can't wait anymore, the quest has to start soon."

"But you three came here for a reason," said Chiron. "You can talk to us."

I told him about my dream and Eric about the message. Chiron and Rachel listened to us without interrupting.

"What is this oath?" I asked.

Suddenly, they all seemed very uncomfortable, like they didn't know how I was going to react.

"Look, Henry," said Becky, "you know the demigods from the Big Three are abnormally powerful. They offer danger and all the old things you already know. There was a time our parents then decided that they were not going to expose people anymore. They made an oath to not have more children."

There was silence, where everyone was looking at me.

"But..." I said, disturbed. "Does it mean that we are a _mistake_?"

"Come on, man, no!" said Eric. "You're not listening. Our parents love us. The oath doesn't exist anymore. The gods agreed it was a horrible oath. We're only saying there was a time it existed, that's all."

I didn't say anything. All my anger about Zeus had come back suddenly. That man (god, whatever) had said they loved me, but only had me because he couldn't avoid hooking up with my mother. That was disgusting. I didn't care if the oath didn't exist anymore. It used to, and that was enough for me.

Becky, who was desperately trying to change the subject of the conversation, said, "We think our parents are trying to communicate with us."

And it worked. I instantly forgot about my anger, because I was interested to hear what Chiron had to say about it.

"It is, of course, a possibility," Chiron said. "The gods might be trying to resist to prison."

"Now that you mentioned it," said Rachel, "the west of the country is the most affected by the climate change."

"The gods must be imprisoned somewhere by the west," I said, feeling a thrill of excitement. We were finally getting some answers. The quest was starting to become something real.

There was silence. Chiron, who was lost in his own thoughts, didn't manifest himself for minutes. Then, when everyone was looking at him, his eyes came back in focus.

"I'm worried about the fatal flaws," he said, enlacing his fingers. "Yours are particularly complicated to deal with."

That comment made me really disappointed. I wished to know what Becky's and Eric's fatal flaws were. I wondered when they were going to trust me enough to tell me about them. And how long would I have to wait until they told me their secrets? Were they thinking I wasn't worthy?

My thoughts were interrupted by a green light that invaded the room. Then I realized it was coming from Rachel. With horror, I saw her eyes becoming green, glowing abnormally. Chiron hurried to hold her before she fell. Eric and Becky seemed concerned, but like they already knew that situation. I didn't know what was going on, I was freaking out. Rachel started to talk, but not with her voice, with someone else's voice.

"_You shall go west, to where your problems all began  
>The lightning, the wave and the rock shall work altogether<br>Or so everything will go apart.  
>You will be successful, but with a cost<br>And, once you come back,  
>Dark times are about to start.<em>"

Rachel apparently woke up from her hypnotic state and said, "So, that's it."

"_That's it?_" I asked, my voice a little louder than normal. "Oh, so usual, don't you reckon?"

"Calm down, man," said Eric, visibly trying not to laugh. "She does this every time. That's what Oracles do."

I think I was just angry about the thing with the secrets. When I realized everyone was still looking at me, I made an effort to nod, trying to show them I was alright.

"This prophecy doesn't seem complete to me," said Becky, frowning.

"Not at all," said Chiron.

"Well, I don't make the prophecies, I just show them," said Rachel, shrugging.

"We know so," said Chiron. "In fact, Rebecca is right. It's like–"

But whatever Chiron thought it was like, he never shared with us. He just kept sitting there, lost in his own thoughts. Apparently, Chiron did that often, because no one, except me, seemed frustrated.

"What is this thing about _where our problems all began_?" I asked. "And these creepy sentences: _You will be successful, but with a cost_ and _once you are back, dark times are about to start_?"

Everyone shook their heads, out of ideas.

"It is indeed missing a lot of details," Becky said. "Like, I don't remember of having problems on the west of the country."

"Neither do I," said Eric. "But, wait up… It doesn't say _we _had problems on the west. It says a problem which is related to us started there."

Becky looked at him, evidently thinking about it. "Ugh, all the lines are kinds of riddles." Then she turned to Chiron. "What do you think?"

He took a while to answer. Chiron was so deeply immersed in his thoughts that he only realized Becky was talking to him when she repeated the question. Twice.

"I'm afraid we can't wait any longer," he said, nodding. "Complete or not, the prophecy is made. Now you have to go."

"Go?" I asked incredulous. "Chiron, we don't even know where to start!"

Chiron's expression was hard to decode. "You will be departing tomorrow morning, right after the breakfast," he said with conviction. "I think you better pack your things quickly."

Even I knew this was an invitation to leave. I followed Becky and Eric outside, ready to go back to my cabin and start packing. But once the door was closed, Becky and Eric stacked their ears on the door to listen.

"Wha–"

Becky quickly turned and covered my mouth with her hand. "You didn't think Chiron would give us all the information he knew, did you?"

I felt bad, while I decided to hear the conversation or not. I was betraying Chiron's belief. But the curiosity won that time. I approached and stacked my own ear on the door.

"… wrong with the prophecy, Chiron?" Rachel was saying. "They aren't able to interfere in the spirit of Delphi, are they?"

"I had never seen this before," said Chiron, and I thought I had heard a tone of fear on his voice. "But this could be the only explanation to why the prophecy is so sampled."

"But, Chiron, this is insane!" said Rachel, scared too. "This means that–"

"That whoever is behind this, is more powerful than we thought, Rachel," said Chiron impassive. "I'm afraid our Big Three Demigods are in terrible danger."

Rachel didn't say anything. All we could hear was her breath. "Do you know what the prophecy means, Chiron?" she asked after several minutes.

"I have ideas," said the centaur, worried. "Nothing more than that."

"And what about the fatal flaws?" asked Rachel. "The prophecy says they have to work together. Don't you think…?"

"I trust them," said Chiron. "They will be able to manage their flaws, I'm sure of it. And I believe they will do it _in the right time_."

I didn't understand the emphasis he gave to the last words, but I wasn't worried with that now.

"Right," said Rachel, her voice more relaxed. "The prophecy is quite clear, actually, even sampled. But there's this one thing that is bothering me. _You will be successful, but with a cost._ What does it mean?"

Chiron didn't answer immediately. Suddenly, I didn't want to listen anymore. I wished I could delete what I had just heard. But somehow it seemed my ear was glued to the door. I couldn't move a muscle.

"Nothing good, certainly," said Chiron simply.

"And once they are back, _dark times are about to start_," quoted Rachel, her voice trembling. "This means they will gain an enemy after this quest, doesn't it?"

"Indeed," said Chiron. "A very powerful enemy, who is going to threat the whole wide world."

That was it. I was done. I didn't want to be there anymore. I got away from the door and looked to Becky and Eric, who, I noticed, were paler than normal.

I didn't want to discuss what I just heard. I turned up and started to go back as quickly as I could to my cabin. I didn't want company. But, obviously, Becky and Eric didn't think the same way. Of course they were way quicker than me running, so they kept up with me with no difficulty.

"Henry, could you please stop?" asked Eric.

"No!" I said.

"Henry," said Becky, "don't make me stop you forcibly."

I kept running, which, I quickly discovered, wasn't a good decision. One moment later, I was on the ground, completely soaked, with Becky and Eric standing beside me.

"I warned you," said Becky, shrugging.

Eric offered his hand to help me to get up, but I just looked furious at it, grumbled and got up alone.

Becky dried my clothes and made an effort to mutter, "Sorry," but she didn't seem sorry at all. But that was all right, because I didn't want to forgive her so quickly.

"Look, man," Eric said, "running away from the problem isn't going to help."

"I don't want to talk about it," I said. "We shouldn't have heard it, just for a start."

"The thing is," said Becky, "we deserved to know, and I _know_ you agree."

She was right, I did agree. But I didn't want to admit it.

"We will have to talk about it sooner or later," said Eric, "and I prefer sooner."

I sighed loudly to show my irritation. I dragged myself behind the two of them while we went to our place to talk, the branches among the cabins.

"So, there is someone commanding the spirit of Delphi?" I asked. "Is that possible?"

"You heard Chiron," said Becky. "He said it could be the reason why there was a lack of details on the prophecy."

"But no one can command the spirit of Delphi," said Eric. "Even the Oracle can't."

"We must be facing someone really powerful, then," I said.

The two of them didn't say anything. I felt tempted to ask which their fatal flaws were, but I refrained myself. I just felt cheated. They knew mine, so why couldn't they tell me theirs?

Instead of asking about the fatal flaws, I asked something way more serious, one of the motives I didn't want to talk about what we had just heard.

"What do you think that sentence meant? About being successful with a cost?"

They both looked at me, and I had never seen them as concerned as they were now. Becky had a wrinkle between her eyebrows, and Eric's chin was shaking.

"That sentence can mean anything," Becky pointed out, her voice quiet. "The prophecy is too sampled. There's no way to know for sure."

That didn't really help much, but at least we didn't have the certainty that we were doomed. We had a little hope.

Becky sighed. "Let's just… stick together, no matter what. Everything will be fine as long as we do that. Promise?"

Eric and I took her hand, as the three of us said at the same time, "Promise."


	6. Departure

Chapter six – Departure

I had spent the rest of the day packing my things up for the quest. Becky and Eric, who had already gone on a few quests, had advised me to bring the fewer things I could. So I decided to bring just extra clothes, my sword (which, I learned recently, could transform itself to disguise in front of mortals) and items of personal hygiene. I didn't dare bring anything else, because I knew we would need to be agile, and carrying much weight wasn't going to help.

I hadn't thought much about the quest while packing. Now that I had finished, my thoughts were led to what we were going to face. My chances weren't that good. I was departing on a deadly quest and nobody knew details about anything that would happen. Basically, we were going to face a complete unknown.

I finally thought about the promise I had made with Eric and Becky too. It had made me feel more relaxed somehow. I felt like we could finally trust each other completely, like we could finally call each other friends. And, if you mind me saying, I wondered if I would at last discover their secrets.

Oh man, that sounded _so _selfish. But I didn't mean to, honestly. I wasn't being selfish this time. I was no longer mad at Becky and Eric like previously. I admit it, I had been very annoying about the whole thing. I had thought they wouldn't tell me because they didn't trust me enough. But, when we made the promise, I saw something in their eyes I had never seen before. Grief. I could almost feel the pain in those looks. And from that moment on, I wanted them to tell me their problems _only _because I wanted to help them. I understood now. They didn't tell me because they just weren't ready yet. I was ashamed. I actually cared about them. Apart from Kyle, they were my only friends in the world. I just wanted to do something for them.

By dinner time, I was insanely hungry. Skipping breakfast and lunch to sleep had seemed a good idea then, but now I was regretting it.

During dinner, the other campers realized something tense was going on. Rachel's arrival, of course, was the most obvious sign. But they must've noticed that Eric, Becky, Rachel, Chiron himself and I were concerned about something. They weren't stupid. They knew it was the Prophecy.

Kyle had been observing me from table twelve in a very indiscreet way. I avoided his eyes. The quest itself was already making me crazy, and I hadn't even thought about how I was going to say goodbye to my best friend.

When everyone finished their meals, Chiron rose up, like he always did when he had news, either good or bad. "As you can see, our dear Oracle is here with us tonight."

There were polite applauses for Rachel. She smiled softly, but I could see she was anxious. She couldn't make her feet stop still.

"If I'm not mistaken, we must have more guests coming soon," said Chiron. "And you must've wisely worked out that Rachel's visit is not purposeless. I'm calling a council. All campers must present themselves to the amphitheater. We shall explain everything that is going on."

An invisible knot obstructed my throat. I didn't think I could handle it. Not tonight.

"Henry, Rebecca and Eric don't need to come," Chiron added. I was thankful to him for that, and I could see Becky and Eric were too. "The three of them have a fair lot of things to worry about, and they need to rest as much as they can. Rachel and I will coordinate the council."

Chiron had been extremely reluctant to aware everyone about the entire situation, I could tell. Maybe he didn't want his campers to be frightened to death. But I guess they would eventually. It's not something you can hide for long. They would have to know sooner or later.

I couldn't say I wasn't happy about it. After that council, I wouldn't be a dangerous child of the Big Three anymore. I would be everyone's hero. Assuming that I would live enough, of course.

I went directly to my cabin when everyone went to the amphitheater. Eric and Becky weren't willing to talk about the quest either. And I thought we deserved a light night more than anyone.

The minutes felt like hours. I turned over and over on my bed – sorry, alcove. The people from the council went back to their cabins after what seemed to be a long meeting and I still couldn't sleep. Maybe it was the anxiety. Or fear. I couldn't distinguish the two feelings anymore.

After what seemed eternity, I gave up and sat on the edge of my bed. Zeus's giant statue stared at me like always. I looked to the face of stone. I still didn't know what to think of him. That was killing me.

A vivid memory flashed through my mind. Me, a five-year-old kid, had been standing outside the door of my mom's room at Christmas' Eve, the first one we spent at home and not at a hotel. I had been going to ask her if I could open my gifts yet, I remember. Then I had felt confused and afraid, because I had realized my mom was crying. She cried a lot when she thought I couldn't hear her. I didn't know then, but she cried because of him. Because of my dad. The only man she ever loved. The man who had abandoned her with a little (and potentially dangerous) baby boy to look after on her own. And, I remembered, the same man who apparently was doing everything he could to protect me.

I tried to force myself to sleep, but my alcove was suddenly very uncomfortable. I sighed loudly and went to look through the window. The camp was deserted, dark and silent. It was nothing like the sunny and cheerful camp I knew. Dark times were approaching, and entire camp was sensing it.

Then I saw something that caught my attention. Three little shadows passed through my eyes. I thought I had imagined them, but when I looked through the window again, I saw three humanoid figures in the darkness of camp's grounds. My heart was beating fast. I saw they were splitting up. One, the tallest, was entering cabin three. Another, the shortest, was walking towards the last cabins. And the last figure was entering my cabin.

I heard the door open. My whole body tensed. I dived to get my sword and pointed it to the dark figure. My heart was racing. My mind was overwhelmed.

The lights were turned on. A fifteen-year-old girl was standing there with her hand on the light switch. My first thought was, "I'm glad I chose this very night to not use PJs."

Oh, don't laugh. You would have thought the same if it was with you.

The other hand of the girl was holding the strap of a backpack. She had spiky black hair, punk styled clothes and a type of tiara over her head, which, in my opinion, didn't match her looks. She was pretty, though. But what I noticed most were her eyes, which were staring directly at me, ignoring the sword I was pointing to her face. Her eyes were electric blue. The exact same tone as mine.

"Put that thing down, boy," she said, pushing my sword aside. "You're really _not _willing to start a fight with me. I'm Thalia by the way. I'm here because I heard my father is missing."

/

When I recovered myself, the rest of the unexpected visit was quite pleasant. It wasn't meant to be so unexpected, as I remembered later. Chiron did have warned us there were some guests coming. But I didn't think they would be coming in the dead of the night.

I turned around. Thalia was walking towards a brazier that had been moved out of one of the alcoves, one thing that I hadn't noticed until that very moment. Then I realized it must've been where she used to sleep. She sat down and sighed, like she was reviving the memories of camp.

"Sorry for showing up so late," she said to me. "It was a long trip. Hope I didn't scare the heck out of you."

"You did," I said. "So, you're my half-sister? Another child of Zeus?"

"Yep. Nice to meet you, brother."

I sat down beside her. It was very clear why she had chosen that alcove to sleep: the only place in the cabin out of Zeus's sight.

"I wish I had had this idea," I said to her. "It's not nice to sleep with a huge daddy watching you."

Thalia laughed. "Tell me about it. So, what's your name?"

After the initial shock, Thalia showed herself as a nice person. We talked for a while, and I discovered her intimidating looks didn't match her personality. That much.

"Why don't you train here anymore?" I asked her. "I thought all campers came here for training."

"They do. But there are a few exceptions. And I'm technically too old to train here."

I frowned, confused. "But the oldest camper here is nineteen. And you are, what, fifteen or something?"

"On the outside, yeah," she said smiling. "I've been fifteen for a long time. Years."

I gasped. She laughed delightedly.

"It's OK, dude. First I was a tree, so I didn't age. Long story," she added after seeing my face. "Now I'm the leader of the Hunters of Artemis, not aging again. Have you heard of them?"

"Yeah."

Kyle had told me about the Hunters. They were a group of girls who choose to be maiden to become immortal and hunt for goddess Artemis.

"So… You won't ever date a guy?" The childish question came out of my mouth before I could refrain it. "Like, ever?"

Thalia laughed again. The sound of her laugh made me feel warm inside.

"It was a better option than be part of a Great Prophecy."

The warmth I had felt was replaced by a cold sensation. The smile on Thalia's face vanished as she realized what she had said.

"I'm sorry, Henry. I really am."

"Everyone is," I said sadly.

Thalia looked at me, and I could see her pity was real. "It's true, anyway," she said. "If I didn't join the Hunters, I would turn sixteen, and then the last Great Prophecy would apply to me. Now that I look back, it was a stupid thing to do. I dropped it all over a friend of mine."

"You mean Percy Jackson?" I asked immediately. I knew he was the one of the last Great Prophecy. He was famous at camp. More famous than Becky, Eric and I.

Thalia smiled. "Yeah, in flesh. I'll never forgive myself. He is my friend, and I left him with no choice but to face the Prophecy."

"Guess I can't blame you for running away," I said. "I would if I could. But-"

"But you wouldn't dare abandon your friends and let them deal with that by their own," completed Thalia. "I know."

I looked at her, insecure. But, when she spoke, it was with a sudden energy.

"Forget about the past. The past is in the past. Now we got to the part when I explain why I'm here. Me, Percy and Nico want to help you. Though we can't go in the quest with you, we can help you from here. And I heard your prophecy doesn't clarify much. I thought that maybe I could try to help."

I was really grateful. The feeling that I had an older sister to take care of me was relieving, because I hadn't had any siblings before.

"We have nothing to go on," I said to her. "It only said we had to travel to the west. Any ideas?"

"Um," Thalia said thoughtfully. "When I was with the Hunters in Denver, I noticed a wicked atmosphere."

I could almost hear the click. It was a possibility. I remembered my dream, where I was in a big city from the west. Denver, in Colorado, fitted the descriptions.

"Rachel said the west is the most affected area by the climate change," I said.

"Nico told me that the situation in Denver is severe," said Thalia. "It is the most affected city of the country. Maybe that's it. It's because the gods are trapped there."

I was happy I finally got a place to start. So I forgot about Denver for a moment.

"Who is Nico?" I asked. I had heard his name before. I was under the impression he had been important too.

"Son of Hades," Thalia replied absent-mindedly. "He was traveling with me and Percy to help you and your friends. Doesn't train here too. He is a tough little guy. Personally, Artemis wouldn't like me to travel alone with two guys, but since they are Percy and Nico, Lady Artemis didn't object."

I remembered about the message Eric said he had received. Nico was a son of Hades. Would the message have come from him?

"So, Denver, checked," said Thalia, forcing me to turn back to the quest. "Now what?"

I tried to remember the prophecy. "It said Denver – I mean, the west – was where our problems all began."

"This thing, whatever it is, probably gained power in the west," opined Thalia. "What else could it be?"

"I guess you're right," I said. Now that I thought about it, it really did sound pretty obvious.

"Next," Thalia demanded.

"Okay," I said. "The prophecy also said that we would be successful, but with a cost."

Thalia studied my face. "I know what you're thinking. But Henry, this cost can't be something as horrible as death."

I blinked. She had hit the spot. I had considered death as a hypothesis. "Why do you think it can't be death?"

"Because," said Thalia, placing her hand on my shoulder, "you have to live enough for the Great Prophecy. If it's about the three of you, and only the three of you, you're not going to die until the Prophecy happens. No, this cost must mean something else."

I was relieved. She must've realized it, because she pulled me closer.

"There's one more thing," I said. "It said that, when we come back from the quest, dark times will start."

Thalia's body tensed. She got rid of me and stood up.

"I think we both should sleep. You have a quest and I traveled all day and almost all night."

I stood up too. For a moment we both stared at each other. Then, without thinking, I went straight to her arms. I didn't like to admit it, but I had been missing an older figure to look after me. I had Chiron, but he couldn't be around all the time and I wasn't so close to him as Becky and Eric were. Thalia's arrival made me feel protected. The same way I felt when I was with my mother.

Thalia, who for a moment had hesitated, surprised by the sudden hug, hugged me back. When we released each other, I was finally hit by what I had done.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I was just… I was just…"

"Hey," she said kindly, "you must be feeling a million things at one. You're the newest camper here and already have to worry about being part of a Great Prophecy, the scariest thing for demigods. It's okay to be afraid. Remember that."

Thalia offered her sleeping niche for me, just to spend a night without being watched by Zeus. I thanked her, but I dismissed it. After her help, the least I could do was let her sleep on the best place in the cabin. It had been hers all along, anyway.

As soon as I lied on my alcove I fell asleep. I had a troubled night, though.

In the nightmare, I was in a beautiful and enormous living room. It was bright, warm, sophisticated and circular, like in royal residences. There was no furniture at all. Just a big and empty room.

"Henry!" I heard someone call. "Henry!"

I looked around, but nobody was there. I was alone in the room.

"Hello?" I said, insecure.

No one answered.

I realized for the first time that the room didn't have windows, which was weird given the fact it was so bright. It had no doors either. I was starting to worry how I would leave the place.

Then, without warning, the room began to change. The walls and floor went black. The room darkened and went cold. I couldn't see or hear a thing.

A sudden feeling possessed me. I felt like I would be trapped inside that nightmare forever, that I would stay there agonizing eternally. I was starting to doubt if it was really a nightmare at all. It seemed real. Too real. I tried to scream, but no sound came out. I tried to breathe, but I couldn't either.

"This is what will happen to you. Soon," a deep voice echoed loudly. "You think you will be able to win? You're wrong, boy."

It was so uncomfortable. I wished with all my heart that the hisses would stop.

"I'm about to rise. I'll rule. And your father and all the gods will serve to me. You have little time until that happens."

I tried to say to the voice to stop talking, but I still couldn't do it. I was screaming to the top of my lungs and it was like I was on mute. My head was spinning.

"And, just to warn you, son of lightning, your fatal flaw may show itself not in the way you expect," said the voice.

I felt like I was passing out. My ears were in pain, my heart was racing and there was no air in my lungs.

"Your quest mates are not who you think they are," the voice laughed. "You don't know anything about them, do you? What makes you think you can trust them? You don't know the dark secrets they keep from everyone."

"STOP!"

The sound finally came out, the loudest voice I had ever emitted in all my life. I couldn't see for a moment, then I realized I was at my cabin, I had woken up, I was safe. I was covered in cold sweat, my entire body shaking. My lungs were hurting as I could finally inhale some air. I was trying not to puke, but it was difficult, because I was completely sick. The room was silent, but I wished it wasn't. The voice of the dream was still echoing in my head, and all I could feel was the sensation of desperation I had felt.

Gradually, I was able to breathe normally and stop shaking uncontrollably. It took me several minutes, though. I didn't know for how long I had been agonizing, but as I looked to the window the sun was just rising.

I looked around for the first time. There was a group of people beside my bed. Kyle, Becky and Eric were the closest ones, all with concerned looks, which made me feel ever sicker. I remembered about what the voice had said about them, and it touched my weakness. Right behind them were Chiron and Thalia.

"Henry?" asked Becky timidly. "Are you with us?"

I dried the sweat on my forehead, which was burning hot, and I made an effort to nod once.

"What happened?" she asked. "Thalia called us saying you were screaming during your sleep. You were agonizing badly. We tried everything, but we couldn't wake you up. We were about to call a child of Hypnos."

I took a long time to organize my thoughts, but very slowly I was able to tell them about the vivid nightmare, the worst of my whole demigod life. I told them everything. Kyle, Thalia and Chiron just stared at me. Eric and Becky exchanged guilty looks.

"How are you feeling now?" asked Thalia.

"Not fine, but better," I said, which was true. I still couldn't get rid of my sickness, but I was relieved I was finally out of that nightmare. Anything that came after that was profit.

Becky and Eric were still looking at each other in a silent agreement.

"Can we talk to Henry alone?" asked Eric.

"Sure, children," said Chiron. "Thalia, Kyle, I think we have things to discuss with Percy and Nico."

Thalia nodded, looked at me for the last time and walked out the cabin with the centaur. Kyle gave me a concerned look, and I tranquilized him with my eyes, then he followed Thalia and Chiron. I was left alone with Becky, Eric and Zeus's statue.

The two of them didn't say anything for a while, just kept observing me. I was afraid of what they were going to say.

"Henry," said Becky, "you know you can trust us, right?" Her voice was so broken I felt guilty.

"We won't be upset if you don't," added Eric.

"Guys, I do trust you," I said honestly. "I swear."

I almost asked if _they _knew they could trust me, but I decided to keep my mouth shut. I didn't want to push them too hard.

"Good," said Becky. "Because we will need to trust each other. And I don't mean only in the quest."

I knew what she was talking about. The Great Prophecy.

The quest had distracted me from the Great Prophecy for a while. I hadn't thought about it much since Chiron told us about it. And I still didn't think it was time. I had other things to worry about at the moment.

"Thalia and I talked about the quest yesterday," I said to them.

They nodded.

"Nico and Percy talked to us too," said Eric. "The prophecy makes a lot more sense now."

We discussed about the conclusions we had last night. The sun had completely risen by the time we finished.

"Do you know what my nightmare has to do with the quest?" I asked them.

"Not a clue," said Becky. "Chiron and the others must have some, though I don't think they're willing to tell us. Knowing them, they don't want to scare us."

Her tone suggested that she didn't like when people kept information from her. And I couldn't get more scared than I already was, so I wished they would tell us at once.

"But at least we know where to start now," said Eric.

"True," said Becky. "But we don't have a clue about how we are going to find the gods or who is the one who talked to Henry in the nightmare – who, obviously, is most likely to be the kidnapper."

"Guess we will have to go and figure that all out," I said.

/

I wasn't fully recovered to eat, but if we were going to the quest right after breakfast – and we were – I had to have something in my stomach. I didn't know when I would eat again.

If dinner had been tense, it was nothing like breakfast. The arrival of Thalia, Percy and Nico had caused a commotion. First Rachel the Oracle, now three famous ex-campers arrived too. The campers finally understood how serious the thing was.

Camp's store, as in every quest, lent us one hundred dollars and twenty gold drachmas. We borrowed some ambrosia and nectar too. I felt we were gonna need them.

The goodbyes weren't as hard as I thought they would be – well, most of them. All the campers very nice and wished us good luck. Even Rachel, Thalia, Percy and Nico came to see us depart.

"Bye, Henry." Rachel hugged me goodbye. "And I'm sorry for my prophecy being so useless."

"It wasn't your fault," I said to her.

Percy shook my hand. He was a tall young man, very handsome and strong. I was honored to meet him, after all the stories I had heard about him.

"Wish we had at least talked, buddy," he said to me. "First quest?"

"Yeah."

"Don't worry," he said bracingly. "You'll do fine. Good luck. Oh, one more thing," he added seriously, "you take very good care of her." He nodded towards Becky, who was talking to Kyle. "Give me your word."

"My word," I said, confused. I didn't see why Becky needed to be watched. She fought very well.

Nico shook my hand too. He was very like Eric physically. He was, like Eric, a guy of few words, which I thought it was funny. They were very alike.

Thalia came next, and it was a little painful to say goodbye to her. She was an older figure, but from now on it would be only me and two kids of my age. She gave me a hug.

"In one night you already made me care about you," she said to me. "Take care, Henry."

"You too."

"Rachel, Percy, Nico and I'll do everything we can from here," said Thalia. "If you need anything, just send an Iris Message."

I admit, knowing that we had support at camp made me feel better.

Saying goodbye to Thalia wasn't as difficult as saying goodbye to Kyle. He was already fighting against a tear when I approached.

"Stay strong, goat boy," I said to him. "I'll be back soon."

He sniffed. "Be careful, will you? I haven't given up five months of my life to keep you alive for nothing."

I laughed. "I will, that's a promise."

I approached Becky and Eric, who had already said goodbye to everyone, and the three of us went up the Half-Blood Hill. Up there, at the gate, Chiron and Argus, a guy with eyes all over his body, were waiting for us. Eric and Becky had already told me Chiron often asked Argus to ride campers to bus stops for quests because (Chiron's words) Argus always kept an eye on things.

"Good luck, children," said Chiron to us. "If your performances match your efforts during training – and I bet they will – you'll be successful."

I gave a last look at the camp's gates and followed my friends and Argus.

All the worries that had been haunting me since I first learned about the quest were gone. Yes, I was aware that I was departing on perhaps the most important quest in history of camp (the rescue of the Big Three), but now I had a good feeling about all that. I was ready to show what I was capable of, for the first time in the real world.


	7. The quest goes down

Chapter seven – The quest goes down

Argus drove Eric, Becky and I to the west of Long Island, towards Manhattan. I had never been to New York before, only to its airports. Kyle had brought me to camp all the way from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It's the capital of the state, though a very small city if compared to New York.

It was lunchtime when we arrived in Manhattan. The traffic wasn't in our plans. So we went to eat something for lunch. Only then Argus dropped us at the bus stop. It was going to be a long way to Denver. We were going to catch a bus to Columbus, Ohio. Then we would catch another bus to Kansas City, Kansas, and from there we would go to Denver. It was a total of 28 hours traveling.

You must be thinking, "Why not getting a plane straight to Denver?" Well, I agree the trip would be way faster. But Chiron had warned us that it wasn't safe traveling by plane in times like those. Zeus's absence made the sky unprotected and unsafe, not only for demigods, but for everyone.

As soon as Argus's car was out of sight, Becky turned to Eric and I. "We'll have to fly."

We both stared at her.

"But, Becky," said Eric, "Chiron told us–"

"I'm not happy about this either, Eric, you know it, but we must do it," she said, searching for something on her backpack. "Going to Denver by bus will take eternity. By the time we get there, who knows what this enemy will be doing already. It's a three-hour trip from New York to Denver by plane. Did I mention that?"

She was right, of course, and it was very tempting, but there were more problems.

"But how will we get all the money for the tickets?" I asked her. "And children can't travel alone."

"I have everything worked out," Becky said. "Look."

She had finally found what she was looking for in her purse. One of the things was a piece of paper which seemed to be an authorization. There, in Chiron's handwriting, it read:

_I authorize my foster kids Henry Clarke, Rebecca Mills and Eric Butler to travel alone to Denver so there they can meet Walter Peep, a trustworthy person who is going to take care of them._

The telephone of the unknown Walter Peep was below, and so was Chiron's signature, under his pseudonym.

Then she showed us what seemed to be parentage documents. There was one for each one of us, and it said that Chiron was our legal guardian.

"But how…?" I started to say, but I stopped myself. "Of course. The Hermes kids."

"Yep," said Becky. "I asked them to falsify these for me. And by the way, this guy Walter really exists. He is a grown-up son of Hermes, who always helps on things like this. In case they want to call him to confirm our arrival, he'll agree with everything."

I was about to ask about how we would buy the expensive tickets when I saw the other thing she had in her hands. It was a money card.

"You didn't steal it, did you?" I asked her.

"Don't be stupid, of course I didn't," she said. "It was my mom's. She gave it to me when… when I last saw her. I can use it freely, as long as the card still has money to spend."

"I thought the flights to the west had been canceled or delayed," said Eric. "Because of the climate change."

"I took a look on the flight schedules before we departed," said Becky. "They went back to normal yesterday."

Becky indeed had everything worked out. I wasn't going to contradict, then. But apparently Eric wasn't going to give up so easily.

"Becky," he said in a warning tone, looking directly into her eyes. "What about your little problem?"

"Eric, I don't have time to worry about that now," she said almost sharply, staring back. Then she softened her voice a bit. "Thanks for the concern, but we have to do this. Otherwise we can be too late."

And, shrinking her shoulders apologetically, she turned her back to us and went towards the road to call a taxi.

Eric was the exact opposite of what I thought he was at first. I had thought that he would be moody and angry, but on the contrary, he was the nicest and gentlest. Any person would have argued aggressively with Becky. Eric, however, just looked at her with a twisted-up frown. What I was seeing in that expression, besides anything, was that he had a bad feeling about that. But I didn't have time to ask why.

"Guys!" Becky called us. She had managed to get a taxi's attention and was now holding the door open for us. "Come on!"

I entered the taxi first, then Eric slid beside me and Becky was the last one. She said to the driver, "JFK International Airport, please."

/

The first thing I noticed about New York was that the traffic was _really_ intense. The taximeter was going non-stop, but the traffic wasn't. It was mid-afternoon by the time we arrived at the airport (and half of our money was already gone by then).

The thing with the false documents and authorization went on really well. The only thing they did was to call Walter Peep, who confirmed our story without stammering, how Becky had said he would. We were able to board the very first flight, which was in exactly one hour. We ate something, because it was most likely to be our last meal in a while. And, of course, then I needed a…

"Restroom," I said.

"Right," said Becky. "We will meet at the departure gate in five minutes, yeah?"

Eric and I nodded and went to the men's restroom while Becky entered the women's.

The restroom was deserted. There was no one in there except for Eric and I, which was really weird, because restrooms in airports were always very crowded. Weren't they?

After we did what we needed to do, Eric said, "I usually love quiet places, but not this one. We must leave."

I agreed with him. When I reached the door, however, it wouldn't open.

"It's stuck, man."

"What?" he said. "Impossible, we just entered, and there's no one but us here."

Eric tried a few times, but it was really stuck.

"Great," he said. "What else?"

And then many things happened at once.

The nearest boxes exploded. Eric and I were thrown against the wall. The sinks started to leak. Almost everything was destroyed. When the dust lowered, from one of the remaining boxes, a Fury came out.

I grabbed my sword. Eric, however, hesitated. It was difficult to him to attack one of his father's monsters, even though he knew they were obeying our enemy now. That was his mistake.

The Fury flew directly to Eric, swinging her whip. I stood in front of Eric, my sword pointed to the monster – it was a very stupid thing to do, now that I think about it – and, obviously, I had no plan. The Fury wrapped her whip around my sword. As I refused to let it go, I was thrown to the other side of the restroom – or what once was a restroom.

I fell over the ruins of one of the boxes. My sword wasn't anywhere I could see. Eric and the Fury were battling with each other near a leak of one of the sinks. I couldn't leave him by himself. My sword could wait.

I flew to the Fury as fast as I could. I hit her hard, and the three of us fell, sliding all the way across the restroom. I hit my head and got disoriented for a few moments. The monster recovered itself quicker than us. Still fuzzy, I felt her claws bury in my arm deeply. Oh, the pain. Eric wrapped his arms around the Fury's neck and pulled her away from me. The Fury kept hitting Eric with her whip and trying to make him let go of her, but he had a tight grip.

"Go get your sword!" shouted Eric.

He didn't have to say it twice. My arm hurting, I flew to the other side of the bathroom and stated searching for my sword. But I couldn't find it.

The restroom suddenly darkened. It was like it was immersed in shadows. I looked around, and realized Eric wasn't there anymore. I didn't know how it was possible, but he just disappeared. It was only me and the Fury now.

It realized that too. It came to me flying in full speed. But it forgot that I could fly too. We both went towards the air, to fight where we were stronger.

It was unfair, because it was armed and I wasn't. So I didn't use arms.

I pushed the Fury away with a blast of wind (which, I have to add, I didn't know I could do) and dove towards the ground. I caught a glimpse of something shiny, or so it seemed, because it was like that tiny part of the whole place wasn't immersed in shadows. I went for it. It was my sword. I got it and turned to face the monster.

The Fury tried to wrap her whip around my sword again, but this time it didn't work. I was quicker. I swung my sword right on her arm, cutting it off. It screamed and knocked me into the ground really hard. I hit one of the sinks and then fell on the floor. Feeling fuzzy again, my back wet and hurting, my vision blurred, I realized it was diving to me. Too late. I wouldn't have time to move.

The room was bright again. The shadows had gone. And in the next moment Eric reappeared. I realized, amazed, that he had been hidden in the shadows. So _he_ had shown me where my sword was. He jumped, grabbed the Fury by her feet and pulled her into the ground.

Before Eric could do that thing with the shadows again, the Fury's whip was wrapped around his neck. The monster lifted him in the air by the whip. He tried to breathe, but he couldn't. He also tried to get his sword, but it was useless. It was that or using his hands to relax the grip, and he chose the second option. I was about to help him. I was preparing myself to fly.

The restroom's door was opened with a bang, like someone had just kicked it. And Becky was there, her sword at the ready. In a quick movement, before anyone could think – including the Fury –, she threw her sword like a boomerang in a perfect aim directly to the monster's chest. The Fury fell, lifeless, on the ground for the last time. I made Eric float safely to the floor. He got rid of the whip, and his neck had a mark.

Becky recovered her sword from the Fury's chest and the monster dissolved in ash before our eyes.

"You guys okay?" Becky asked us.

"We wouldn't be if it wasn't for you," said Eric, his hands on his neck. "You arrived just in time."

"Never mind," she said, shaking her hand in a dismissing gesture. "Now, are you injured?"

"No big deal," said Eric. "Besides my neck, I'm fine."

"It scratched me," I said, showing Becky my arm. I sounded like a little kid that fell over while playing hide-and-seek, but I didn't care. It felt like my arm was the one which was going to fall over.

"Yeah, it's a pretty bad cut you have there," she said, showing concern. "I can give you a sip of nectar when we get into the plane." She looked at her watch and added, "Which we will miss if we stay put. We have to move. People will start to come, and we don't want to get caught alone in the middle of a destroyed restroom. It may lead to very awkward questions."

We ran across the airport towards departure gate number six. The guy who was checking the tickets wasn't pleased with our presence alone in the flight. He asked for his manager, we had to show the false documents and authorization and they analyzed the things. For a moment I thought we weren't going to board the flight, but eventually the men let us enter.

We searched for our places. We had chosen three seats at the corridor, because we wanted to sit together. Eric and I sat one on each side of Becky.

"There," Becky said, giving to me the bottle of nectar. "Just one little sip, OK? You know the rules."

I did as I was told. Almost immediately, I felt the deep scratches healing themselves. Now that the pain wasn't distracting me anymore, I started to think about some things.

"It was like that Fury was on the look-out just to attack us," I said.

"Of course it was," said Eric, grabbing a magazine from the pocket of the seat in front of him. "Every quest has its risks. We must be much more careful, though, because our conditions make us in double danger."

I was under the impression that he was talking more to Becky than to me, because he glanced at her very briefly then got back to the magazine. But then again, it could be just an impression.

"Fasten seat belts, please," said the flight attendant who had just passed by our seats. "We are almost ready for take-off."

"Here, give me your backpacks," I offered. "I'll put them in the head compartment."

Eric gave me his, but Becky felt suddenly nervous. "No, I'll keep it," she said. "Um, it's a way I can feel... _safer_."

I looked at her for a split second. Her bag was behind her back like a pillow, her breath was heavy and, if I wasn't much mistaken, she was trembling.

Now I understood what Eric meant by saying Becky had a little problem. She had a phobia with flying.

I had always seen Becky as a strong figure, a warrior, an extremely smart girl, but I realized I had forgotten something – she was _human_. Humans had _fears_. They could be the strongest, bravest and all, but everyone was afraid of something.

Eric looked at me warningly, but he didn't need to warn me, I had already decided I wouldn't make comments. I put the backpacks in the compartment, sat down again and fastened my seat belt.

"Ladies and gentlemen," said the flight attendant's voice, "the take-off was authorized. We are ready."

I felt an abrupt movement beside me. Becky had grabbed the sides of the seat very tightly, her eyes shut. I took the opportunity to study her face. It was very difficult to me to understand why she was doing that. She had agreed to board a plane even if she panicked when she flew, because she cared much more about the others' destinies than hers. It was very admiring, and required much nerve.

We gained velocity. Eric seemed very carefree. _Too _carefree, in my conception. He was still reading the magazine. Becky was red, and I suspected she was holding her breath. I wanted to say something to her, but I couldn't. I was quite enjoying the perspective of flying. The sky was where I felt better.

The plane left the ground. We were flying. I felt that awesome sensation I only felt when I was flying: freedom.

As we gained altitude and the warning of the belts was turned off, Eric finally looked up from the magazine. He took a look on Becky and, when he spoke, it was like he was used to that situation.

"All right there?" he asked her.

She didn't answer. Her eyes were still closed, and she was holding the sides of the seat so tightly her finger joints were going white. But at least she was breathing again. I was impressed she hadn't panicked yet.

"You wanna talk?" Eric asked her. "Get distracted. It will help."

Becky, for the first time, demonstrated she was hearing us. She shook her head, but it was a start. Eric placed his hand over her shoulders. So he wasn't as carefree as I thought. Eric was shy and didn't talk much, but I could see he was a very good friend.

Becky opened her eyes slowly. Eric mouthed to me: _entertain her_. I didn't know what I could do, but I knew I should keep her talking.

"So," I said to her, "this panic you have with flying… Why is that?"

I guess talking about her phobia wasn't a really good way to make her entertained, but I couldn't think about anything else to say.

She took a while to answer. I suspected she was trying to find her voice.

"It's natural for children from Poseidon," she said weakly. "We are afraid of being so far above the sea."

"But, during the last battle at camp, we flew," I remembered. "You didn't seem afraid there."

"Not the point," she said, tightening her grip on the sides of her seats even more. "We were far lower than we are now. It's big altitudes I can't stand."

It made sense. Still, it was very odd to see Becky in one of her weakest moments. Just, _odd_.

As Becky wasn't in the mood of talking, I leaned over to see Eric.

"Have you traveled by plane together before?" I asked him.

"Once," he said. "On my eleventh birthday, my dad invited me to visit him in the Underworld, in Los Angeles, and said that I could bring a friend, so I brought Becky."

That was new to me, hearing that Hades had invited people to the Underworld. I imagined him in his living room, waiting for guests, telling to his hellhounds to stop barking. It was a kind of funny scene.

"I know what you're thinking," said Eric. "My dad is a good guy, you know, he just doesn't know how to show that."

He was almost able to disguise his cold tone completely, but he let it slip a bit.

"I'm sorry, man," I said. "Your dad must be really nice."

"Not mad at you, dude," he said with his carefree tone again. "People are usually very unkind towards my dad, and it's just unfair. He doesn't deserve that."

I just looked at him. I didn't want to say empty words, so I just nodded.

"We met Nico there," Eric said suddenly. "Nico di Angelo, the son of Hades that came to camp with Percy and Thalia. He is very nice, such a nice brother."

I thought I had imagined a painful tone in his voice, but I decided I was becoming paranoid. Every little thing Becky and Eric did made me think they were giving me clues about their secrets. Stupid, I know.

"Oh, you've met before, then," I said.

"Yeah, we have," said Eric. "Becky and I knew Percy and Nico already. We hadn't met Thalia yet, because she was always so busy traveling with the Hunters."

"And how did you meet Percy?" I was curious.

"He was training at camp with us until last year, when he had to live at Poseidon's."

"Why?"

"Dunno," he said. "Becky must know, but she has never told me."

"I haven't told you because I _don't _know!" said Becky sharply, her eyes opening with anger and then shutting down again. Even I could notice her hurt tone. I had learned that she didn't like when people kept information from her.

"Annabeth Chase, Percy's girlfriend, previous counselor of the Athena cabin, doesn't train at camp anymore either," said Eric.

I was still thinking about the motive that had made Percy move to his dad's. But I couldn't conclude anything. I had been a demigod for so little time that I couldn't think entirely like one.

"Anyway, talking about the flying problem," Eric said, "Becky would explain it better, but, you know. I guess not all children of Poseidon have Aviophobia. There are only two demigods known from Poseidon, and they are Percy and Becky. Although Percy does hate flying, he doesn't have a phobia. It's very relative."

The voice of the flight attendant echoed again, but I wasn't paying much attention. Becky was murmuring something like, "Please, don't say the altitude. Please, don't say the altitude."

18 million feet. I pitied Becky. I was waiting for her to panic.

She didn't panic at all. I frowned at her. If she had such a phobia, why wasn't her freaking out about the altitude?

Then I realized the flight attendant _hadn't_ said the altitude. I just knew it.

"Hey!" I said. "How can I know our exact altitude? Nobody said it."

None of them seemed as impressed as I was.

"Please, don't tell me that," Becky begged.

"Children of the Big Three are like human GPSs," said Eric. "We can orient ourselves perfectly when we are where we belong. In your case, the sky."

I was terrified, yet very, very excited. I somehow knew that our exact position was 40 degrees, 38 minutes north, 73 degrees, 46 minutes west. I knew that there was another plane taking off right after us, flying towards Georgia, and I also knew its latitude and longitude.

"It's just super cool," I said.

The next hour and a quarter was okay. Eric and I talked a lot to Becky and we were able to make her feel slightly better. I was very proud of myself. But that was before the turbulence

We were getting so very close of making her let go of the sides of her seat. So _very _close. Her grips were relaxing a bit. Then the flight attendant spoke.

"Passengers, please respect the fasten seat belt warning. We are entering a turbulence area."

Becky let out an involuntary gasp. "No," she said. "No, no, no."

"It'll be okay," said Eric.

The turbulence was bearable, even Becky had to agree. The plane just trembled a few times. The whole thing last two minutes or so. Then we were able to stay steady again. The warning of fasten seat belts was turned off.

And that was when the plane fell.


	8. Message from the Underworld

Chapter eight – Message from the Underworld

It certainly was _not_ turbulence.

I discovered it as soon as I felt the impact. It was so huge that it felt like my neck would break. No turbulence would be like that. All the passengers let out terrified screams. The plane was almost turned upside down. I got suspended by my seat belt, the only thing that was preventing me from falling, and for a moment we had zero gravity.

"Eric!" I shouted desperately. "Do something!"

"Dude, I have control over the dead, not the living!" he complained.

"And what about the living who are most likely going to die?" I asked him.

The plane was hit a second time, but from the other side. The whole plane – the heavy, enormous plane – rolled over. Unfortunately, some people had already removed their seat belts. They flew, seeming as weightless as Barbie dolls.

At first, I thought that we had been hit by another plane, but I soon discarded that possibility. If it was another plane, we would all be dead already. No, the thing that had hit us was smaller, but not necessarily less dangerous.

I had expected Becky to reach her highest panic level ever, yet she seemed the exact opposite of panicked. Perhaps the life-threatening situation washed away all her fear. She had to focus now. And that was what I liked about her: she was a true warrior.

"The other two Furies!" Becky yelled over people's screams. "Of course! That Fury that attacked you guys back in the airport couldn't be by itself!"

Fair enough, a monstrous face appeared outside the left window. I could only catch a glimpse of it, but I was sure: it was a Fury.

"They are going to make us fall to our deaths!" I shouted.

The plane went back to its upright position. The oxygen masks fell above our heads – TOO LATE – but nobody even bothered to wear them. They all believed they were going to die anyway.

"We're not dead yet!" said Eric with determination. "Becky, your turn!"

She nodded as a Fury hit the plane again. Terrible screams filled the whole place. I would not let those innocent people die. It was our fault the Furies were there.

"No sea or ocean under us!" Becky announced as the other Fury twisted the plane in 360 degrees.

"Right," said Eric. "So let me do my job."

Almost immediately, I heard something hit the bottom of the plane. But it wasn't a Fury.

"If only I could see what I'm doing…" Eric complained.

He, I suspected, was summoning rocks from 18 million feet below. Well, _that_was what I called power.

"Henry," said Becky to me, "the Furies will try to enter the plane. If they do this, the pressure will kill everybody. Make sure we have oxygen, OK?"

"But how?" I asked.

She didn't have time to answer. The plane's doors were pulled away like they were nothing and the Furies boarded in, like Becky had predicted. My eardrums were hurting and I couldn't breathe. I had less than a second to act before we all died.

Oxygen, I thought, a huge bubble of oxygen.

The pressure in my eardrums eased. I was able to breathe normally. I didn't know what I had done, but it had worked. That was good enough for me.

The two Furies flew towards us very fast, coming from each row. I stretched my arms and pushed them away with the same blast of wind I had used against the other Fury.

They recovered themselves pretty quickly. But, weirdly, only one Fury came to attack us the second time. Eric summoned one of the rocks, made it enter the plane, then hit the monster. But the other turned to the opposite direction. I didn't know why…

"The pilot!" shouted Becky.

We had no time to do anything. The plane fell. Whatever the Fury did with the pilot, it worked. I didn't know something so huge could fall so fast.

Everyone was screaming. I couldn't think. I was going to die. I wouldn't live enough to complete the quest, nor the Great Prophecy. But Thalia had assured me we were not going to die… I was so young…

My life was about to end, and I thought about everyone I loved. My mom, her beautiful face and smile, her kindness, her sweetness, her love for me. Kyle, my best friend Kyle, my protector, his clumsiness and his good intentions. I had made a promise to him, and I was going to break it. Eric and Becky, who once were just quest mates. Now I considered them my best friends too, and their lives were going to end. Their bravery, loyalty, abilities and skills, all those qualities were going to die along with them. Thalia, my sister that I had met only recently. I would never get to spend time with her. Chiron, always so patient, always so nice. And my friends at Camp Half-Blood, although they all feared me, I was going to miss them.

I would never see them again. I couldn't imagine their reactions to the news. Mom would breakdown. Kyle would have a nervous collapse. Thalia would be depressed. Chiron would be inconsolable. The campers would be shaken. And, eventually, they all would die in the hands of the enemy we would fail to stop. I didn't want to die and leave them. They needed me. They needed us.

What was the Underworld like? That was a question I should have asked Eric before. Stupid me. Would I go to Elysium? Or would they say that I didn't do anything that deserved Elysium? Would I go to Fields of Asphodel then? Or even the Fields of Punishment?

No, I said to myself, I couldn't die! Not now! I still had a role to play. The world needed Becky, Eric and I, living, together.

I was taken by a sudden determination, a kind of determination I had never felt before. I was decided that I wouldn't let anyone die today.

The Furies were coming back. I couldn't be disturbed. I was going to execute the most stupid plan I had ever thought about, but it _had_ to work.

"Becky, Eric, watch my back!" I said to them.

"Got it!" both answered promptly and drew their swords, ready to maintain the Furies away from me, even if they didn't have a clue about what I was going to do.

I closed my eyes. I had never tried to make something that heavy and huge stop in midair before. In the battle back in Half-Blood Hill, when I first used that kind of power, the heaviest things I had sustained were Becky and Eric. There had been no problem, but what about an enormous plane of domestic flight?

I imagined the plane stopping from falling. I felt a sudden weight over my body. It was like I was being crushed by a weightlifter. But I couldn't lose my concentration.

Incredibly, we stopped. I didn't have time to cheer up, though, because Becky and Eric wouldn't contain the Furies forever. I had to find a way for us to go down safely.

"Henry!" said Becky's voice. "Control the plane!"

Becky was right. If I could control the _air_, why couldn't I control an _air_craft?

I tried simple things first, just to see if it obeyed me. But the thing was that controlling that plane was as easy as walking. It was like the thing obeyed me naturally.

The only problem was that I didn't know if there was a safe place for us to land.

"Eric!" I yelled.

I didn't have to say anything else. Eric got the message.

"It's OK!" his voice said "You can land! Go on, Henry!"

I was only partially aware about what was happening. There were still some screams filling the place. I could hear Eric and Becky battling with the Furies. And the monsters weren't so pleased when they understood what we were trying to do.

"Children of the greatest gods!" they hissed altogether. "Master doesn't want you to succeed. Master needs you dead!"

"Which master?" I heard Eric ask. "You serve to Hades!"

"Fidelities can change, son of Hades," hissed the Furies.

"Well, then you chose wrong," said Becky. "Because this new master of yours is not going to rule. Not if it depends on us!"

The plane vacillated. I was losing my concentration. We still had a long way down.

I was making the plane go down as fast as I dared to risk. It wasn't safe going too fast with a battle going on. The minutes felt like hours. I didn't know how much time had passed. It was too slow. I wished I could go faster and faster.

Nine hundred feet left… five hundred… a hundred… _come on_, I thought, _come on_!

"No!" Becky shrieked suddenly.

I couldn't bear not knowing what was happening. I opened my eyes.

Becky and Eric had been battling in two different rows to maintain the Furies apart. The Fury that Eric had been fighting with had buried her claws deeply through his belly. There was so much blood. He had passed out.

"Stay away from him!" Becky cried.

She, too, was very injured. She had a big gash on her forehead, which was bleeding severely, and a cut beside her right eye, going from her eyebrow to the middle of her cheek.

Becky jumped on one of the seats to be right between the two Furies. Both of them attacked her, one from each side, surrounding her. I could tell she was in trouble.

"Henry, don't you dare!" she shouted while she fought, like she was reading my mind. "Concentrate on landing us! I can handle this!"

She seemed pretty confident, but the situation wasn't very good. She was in disadvantage. But she could hang on enough to buy me some time, I hoped.

I took a look on Eric, bleeding non-stop. I had to land as quickly as possible, or it would be too late for him.

"Becky!" I yelled. "Be ready! I will go faster!"

"Bring it on!" she shouted, though I wasn't sure if she was talking to me or to the Furies.

I made the plane go down in the same speed it was when falling. But this time I was in control of the situation. The altitude was dropping so insanely fast that I was amazed.

The land wasn't as soft as I was planning. We hit the ground too early, too quick and too hard. But it was a safe land, so it didn't matter. The ground seemed irregular. It took us little time to stop completely.

"Becky!" I yelled again. "Let's go! NOW!"

I didn't wait for the rest of the passengers. Now that we were on the earth they would be okay. The only problems were the Furies, but we would take care of them.

I grabbed Eric and flew to the doors of the plane. I placed him carefully on the ground and came back to help Becky.

The thing had gotten ugly. Becky was out of energy and the Furies seemed to be as electric as a kid with ADHD. I drew my sword and went on her aid.

I grabbed the nearest Fury from behind. It got so surprised that I was able to swing my sword right through it and she immediately dissolved into ash.

The other Fury seemed to be the leader and the hardest to kill. Yet Becky had managed the climb the monster's back, in order to give me a clear aim. The Fury tried to get rid of her, but she wouldn't let go. Becky turned the Fury to me, making it look easy. All that I had to do was to make my sword go right through the monster. And it died.

The passengers were starting to come back from the shock and were walking to the doors. Some of the dead bodies were obstructing the rows. At least we were able to save almost everybody.

"Come on," I grabbed Becky by her armpit and flew over the people's heads.

Once outside, I flew towards Eric, who had lost too much blood and was still unconscious. I grabbed him and flew with no direction. I just wanted to get out of there. In no time people were going to be telling cops about histories of kids saving them.

We had landed on what it seemed to be a kind of farm, in a rural area. There was nothing there except farms and forests. I chose the forest and flew towards there.

"You okay?" I asked Becky as we flew.

She merely sniffed. I could see she completely exhausted. I felt weak myself. I didn't know how I was managing to fly carrying my two friends. Controlling the plane had seemed easy, but now I could see how much strength it had consumed.

I didn't want to go too far inside the forest, so I found a clearing right in the beginning of it and decided we could rest a bit there.

I placed Becky and Eric carefully on the ground. Eric's shirt had once been white, but it was now totally red. He was as pale as a ghost. I didn't dare removing his shirt to see how bad his injury was.

Becky wasn't any better. She was very pale too. The gash on her forehead was starting to worry me. It was bleeding too much.

"Tell me you have your backpack," I said to Becky nervously.

She nodded and grabbed it. I realized it contained what was left of our maintenance.

"You better eat a square of ambrosia," I said to her. "I'm worried about that injury of yours."

Becky nodded again. She got her bottle of nectar and passed it to me. I made Eric drink it. Meanwhile, Becky ate a square of ambrosia, like I told her. Her injuries, the gash and the cut, were starting to heal. Her strength was coming back gradually.

"What about you, Henry?" she asked quietly. "Are you all right?"

"Just tired," I said. I was still staring at Eric's face. The color was beginning to come back very slowly. It made me relax a bit.

Becky put a hand over my shoulder. "You were incredible today, you know."

I wasn't expecting the compliment. "Thanks," I managed to answer. "But you were much more brilliant."

She shrugged, her sea-green eyes seeming sad. "I should have paid more attention to Eric anyway. He was battling the leader, but I didn't think he was in more trouble than me. Obviously, he was."

"Hey, don't blame yourself," I said. "You were already too busy."

"Maybe," she said bitterly. "It's just… I can't stand when I can't stop something from happening."

I realized, too late, that she fighting with tears. It had something to do with her mysterious past, I was sure. Fortunately, I had tact, so I didn't ask. I put my arm over her shoulders. It was a gesture that didn't need words. The translation was: _I'm here for you_.

Eric was starting to wake up. He had stopped bleeding. He was still very weak. But he was alive.

"Oh, thank the gods," said Becky.

"How are you feeling, man?" I asked Eric. "You made us pretty worried."

"I'm fine." He tried to sit down, but he was too weak to do so.

"Not so quickly," said Becky. "You've lost too much blood. You stay where you are."

She pushed him to the ground again. I could tell Eric didn't like the idea of being frail.

"Thanks, guys, for helping me," he said. "I'm guessing you saved everybody."

"You helped a lot," I assured him. "We just finished the job."

He gave us a weak smile.

"Eric, could you say where we are?" asked Becky.

He closed his eyes for a moment.

"St. Louis," he said with conviction. "Missouri."

"Meaning?" I asked.

"Still far away from Denver," he said.

I got frustrated. We had lost two of our backpacks, many of our maintenance, we were injured, exhausted and still far away from our destination.

Becky and I didn't want to leave Eric by himself weak like that, so we divided the tasks. While Becky took care of Eric, I came back to where we landed the plane. I couldn't get close, because the plane was surrounded by cops, paramedics and curious people. No chance of getting the backpacks back.

"Bad news," I said when I got back to the clearing. "We must be known as Superkids all over the country by now. And no backpacks."

"Bad news too," said Becky. "Eric says he is okay enough to keep going, but we are too far away from the city. No chance we get there before the sunset. We'll have to spend the night."

"Trying with the farmers?" I asked.

"No chance," said Eric. "Becky and I think we would put them in danger. No, this clearing is good enough."

It was better than nothing, indeed. But the idea of staying put for so long bothered me.

After the sunset, it was my turn to stay with Eric while Becky sneaked into the nearest farm to get some food (she left some money to the farmers – it was never our intention to steal). We didn't dare bring anything else from the farm, like blankets and clothes.

The food was delicious, and it wasn't only because I was insanely hungry. Natural food provided from farms was way tastier than industrialized food.

I had thought nothing would happen until the next day. I couldn't have been more wrong.

After dinner, we three were having a discussion about the quest and the missing information. In the middle of it, however, we were interrupted.

By Nico di Angelo's head.


	9. Eric reveals everything

Chapter nine – Eric reveals everything

Talk about unusual visits.

I took a while to get used to the idea of Nico di Angelo's head floating in the middle of nowhere in front of us. At the first sight of his head, we three jumped to our feet, including Eric.

"Good," said Nico with relief. "It's the first time I use Shadow Message to communicate. I didn't know if it would work. Hello guys."

"Nico," said Eric, "what the heck are you – better yet, your _head_ – doing here?"

"I was… What happened to you?" He frowned at Eric's red shirt.

"We just fought some Furies and almost died," Eric said carefree.

"All right," said Nico, suggesting that was a routine for demigods. "Well, good to know you guys are fine. I've heard interesting stories about you."

"Tell me about it," Eric said. "But anyway, what are you doing? You're not just checking on us."

"No, I'm not," Nico admitted. "You said to me you wanted to be warned immediately if I had news about Jamie, so here I am."

"_Jamie_?" Becky yelled with anger.

"Who is Jamie?" I asked.

Nico frowned again to Eric. "You didn't tell them?"

"Of course I didn't!" said Eric.

"_Who_ is Jamie?" I asked again.

Eric was looking anywhere but my eyes or Becky's. "Jamie Butler," he said. "My dead younger brother."

I felt my mouth drop open. His younger brother had died. I never knew. Poor thing…

Becky, however, didn't seem to have pity or sympathy towards Eric. She was looking at him like he was a naughty child that had just broken her favorite flowerpot.

"Eric," she said, trying to stop her voice from trembling with anger, "are you saying that after all I've told you, you did try to bring your brother back?"

He nodded carefully as one tear dropped from his eye. What did she mean by saying that he wanted to bring his brother back? She didn't mean… back from the _dead_, did she?

Becky turned to Nico. "You _told_ him it was dangerous, didn't you?"

"I did, Becky, I swear I did," said Nico. "Disturbing souls from the Underworld and changing the natural course of things are always risky things to do. I know it myself. But…"

"We can continue that talk later," said Eric clinically. "Nico, I want to know. Where's Jamie?"

Nico sighed. "Are you ready to hear this?"

Eric nodded. He seemed completely determined.

"He was hiding from you," said Nico carefully. "That's why he hasn't talked to you. He said he knew it wasn't good for you to talk to him for so long. It was becoming a disorder. Jamie didn't want you to be hurt. He loves you."

Eric went silent. He was silent for several minutes. When he spoke, his voice was trembling.

"So, is he okay?"

"He is okay," said Nico bracingly.

"Right," said Eric slowly. "So tell him… tell him that I understand. I won't… I won't do anything he doesn't want to do."

Nico was uncomfortable. "I'm sorry about all this. I didn't mean to cause you trouble." And here, he glanced to Becky, who was trying very hard to control herself.

"It's not your fault," said Eric honestly, though shaken.

Nico nodded. "I better go now. I'm sorry again. Bye, brother. Bye, Becky, take care. And bye, Henry."

Nico's head dissolved into shadows and he was gone.

Nobody talked. I was just waiting for the bomb to explode. Eric was still avoiding looking at us. Becky was staring at Eric, idly, half sad, half angry.

To my surprise, it was Eric who acted first. He turned around very slowly and for the first time looked directly into Becky's eyes.

"Becky, listen," he said.

"No, you listen!" she said. "How could you do this, Eric? Why did you appeal to Nico when I didn't approve your intentions? You knew he would accept it, because he is too nice to say no!"

"I was–" Eric started to say.

"_I know you were devastated_!" she said impatiently. "I know that! I'm your friend the longest! I was the one who stopped you from breaking down! I was the one who was with you in those moments when you didn't want to live anymore! But I told you to forget that idea of bringing Jamie back! Why? Because I worry about you! I knew it wasn't good for you! Nor for him! I told you to move on… you promised me you would… you gave me your word!"

Her voice was angry, but I could spot the sadness between the lines. She was staring at Eric, who couldn't contain the tears anymore.

"I deserve that," he said with a sob. "I deserve it all. You are right. I'm a selfish little thing. I'm a terrible human being."

He sat down and stopped fighting against the sobbing. Becky sat down beside him. She was furious with him five seconds before, but now she was there, comforting him. That was true friendship.

I stood there, just watching. I couldn't help but feel excluded. I didn't know anything about their past, and I had never realized it entirely until that moment.

Then, without a warning, they both turned to me.

"Come here, Henry," Eric said. "Have a seat. The story is long."

/

I wasn't sure if I wanted to hear it.

I know, you must be thinking, "But you were always complaining that you wanted to know your friends' secrets!" I did want to know. I was just scared.

"So," said Eric, "do you want me to start from the very beginning or do you want the short version?"

"The beginning," I said before I could think about it.

"So here it goes." He took a deep breath. "I came to camp when I was nine years old," he told me. "Why so young? Because my dad told me to."

"Your dad?" I said. "You're saying your dad went to your house in person to send you to camp?"

Eric nodded. "He arrived at our house back in Jacksonville during the night, when he and my mom thought Jamie and I were sleeping. I overheard them talking. Dad said that my aura was making my family in danger, that I had to go to camp in that moment. It was earlier than the average demigods, but it was important. I understood that I was special. Mom, of course, knew that I was powerful and dangerous, so she sent me off in that same night. She was miserable, but she knew it was better that way. But I didn't want to leave without Jamie. I was a dumb kid, I didn't have a clue about the danger. I told Jamie, 'Come with me. Or you'll never see me again.'

"It was probably the dumbest thing I've done in all my life," Eric said. "I got rid of the satyr that was on duty to protect me as soon as I discovered where to go: Camp Half-Blood, in Long Island. I took Jamie with me to New York.

"I had no problems during the journey. The thing got ugly when we arrived at Half-Blood Hill. There were two Gorgons waiting for us. I did the best I could with my unknown powers. I protected Jamie, but two Gorgons were more than I could handle. I was only nine. I was so injured. I couldn't bear it for too long.

"I vacillated for one second. One stupid second that cost my brother's life. In one moment he was there, beside me, looking terrified, and in the next moment one of the Gorgons was ripping him in two. She had come from behind. Jamie was trying to save me. He was only six."

I could only look at Eric. I couldn't react. I was in shock. At this point, he was running out of tears.

"It was all my fault!" he cried. "If I hadn't brought him with me, he would still be alive!"

"You were nine, man," I recovered my voice.

It was Becky's turn to talk. "Jamie doesn't blame him, you know, Henry," she said. "Eric doesn't accept that, though. When he arrived at camp, he told Chiron he didn't want anyone to know about what he had done. Chiron kept the promise. He didn't tell anybody, including me. But I was a smart kid. I could recognize a person that needed a friend when I saw one. I got close to Eric, and he told me everything. And since then I've been helping him to keep going."

"Becky is the best," said Eric. "I can never thank her enough."

She smiled.

"Two years after we met, Eric found a way to contact his brother," continued Becky. "If he was bad before, he was even worse then. I was watching him suffer, because he had his brother, but at the same time he didn't."

"He was still in his six-year-old self," Eric told me rather dreamily. "He told me he was in the Fields of Asphodel, and that it wasn't that bad. He told me everything. There was a time when talking to him was all that I looked forward to. I was addicted."

"Hades didn't just invite him over to visit him, you know," said Becky. "When Eric was eleven, he wanted to join his brother so badly. I was afraid I couldn't save him that time. Hades could sense that, so he tried to make things better. And it worked."

I suddenly became very fond of the god of the Underworld. He was known as the bad guy, but he wasn't bad at all. I thought bitterly about my father, who never talked to me in my entire life.

"In the Underworld I met Nico," said Eric. "He was only a half-brother, but it was the closest I would get. We got close to each other. And then he accidentally mentioned that his sister, Bianca, had died too, and that he tried to bring her back to life.

"That was when I found hope. I told Becky about it, but she didn't approve. I told her I wouldn't do it, but I appealed to Nico. He tried to change my mind, he told me it hadn't worked with Bianca, but, as Becky said, he was too nice to say no. I was stupid and I was selfish. But don't worry, I gave up. Things have to happen naturally."

Becky sighed with relief.

Now I knew Eric's story. And, as I understood it, it wasn't something he told everybody. I felt bad for him, but I was honored to know that he trusted me.

"Eric," I said to him, "I don't know you for long, but, if you need anything, just let me know."

He gave me a weak smile. "Thanks, man. That means a lot."

"Okay, now enough of the emotional moment," said Becky with sudden energy. "I'll take the first watch. Now get some sleep. These bags under your eyes are terrible."

/

Becky was still a mystery.

Don't get me wrong, I was honored that Eric had told me his story. Still, why did I think that Becky's past was even darker?

She hadn't given any sign that she would tell me about it so soon. Not that I was angry. She could take her time. Still… still…

I suddenly fell asleep.

It was a kind of strange dream. Becky in the dream was exactly like the recent Becky. She was leaning her back against a tree and was fast asleep. Only asleep I could see her with a relaxed face. She seemed to be cold, because she was rubbing her own arms involuntarily during her sleep.

A powerful noise filled the forest. Becky woke up with a gasp.

The noise again. Becky was very silent and very still, looking at everywhere for any sign of movement. I heard thumps, like something very huge was walking around there. Something incredibly huge.

Becky had apparently figured out what might've been causing the noises. Her eyes widened. She jumped to her feet and grabbed her sword. She took a look beside her, where Eric and I had been sleeping. I hadn't noticed we were there until that moment.

Then Becky ran to the heart of the forest, obviously going to face whatever was there. I wanted to shout to her to come back, but I wasn't part of the dream, I was only a spectator.

A voice spoke, the last voice in the world I wanted to hear. The voice of my last nightmare. It hissed inside my head, very loud yet very clear.

"Her fatal flaw."


	10. Becky plays with Cyclopes

Chapter ten – Becky plays with Cyclopes

It wasn't a dream.

Great, I thought. My nightmares were already terrifying without being true. Now I knew I could dream about real situations too.

When I woke up, it was probably the first hours of the morning, around six a.m. It was still dark. My breath was heavy and I was quite shaken. I wished it was only a dream, I wished to find Becky beside me, but she wasn't there. I felt a little sick when I thought about how much danger she was in, according to my dream – or vision, whatever. As much as she battled well, I couldn't imagine her facing something that seemed that big by herself.

And the voice, the voice had come back. I was suspecting _it_ was the one that showed me the vision. But _why_? I mean, if it belonged to our unknown enemy, then why would they want us to save Becky? Better yet, what her unknown fatal flaw had to do with it?

I made all those reflections while I tried to remember how to use my legs. How many hours had passed since she went to fight that thing? I felt sick. I _had_ to find her.

Eric was still deeply asleep. He was lying beside me.

"Eric," I shook his shoulders. "Eric, wake up. Becky's gone."

"Nah, she's not," said Eric, without opening his eyes. "Go back to sleep, Henry, her duty isn't over yet."

"You're still sleeping, man," I sad exasperated. "I'm not kidding. Becky is off to fight something really huge by herself. I had a vision. That voice from my previous nightmare said something about Becky's fatal flaw."

At the sound of the words _fatal flaw_, Eric looked up, seeming totally awake. He stared at me, then looked around, then at me again, this time very seriously.

"Let's go find her."

"She went that way." I pointed to the woods.

Eric and I jumped to our feet. He looked at that direction for a moment and said, "Bring her backpack. The thing might get ugly."

We ran across the woods. Running had never been one of my strengths, but I was making an effort this time. Becky needed us.

"There's a cavern a quarter of mile from here," informed Eric.

We kept going. I was out of breath. I just kept running blindly, until Eric stretched his arm to make me stop and pulled me to behind the bushes.

There was another clearing right in front of us. It was way bigger than the one we had spent the night in. On the right there was a conjunction of rocks that formed a cavern, a _very _big cavern. I suspected the entrance was around twelve feet tall. There was much blood in the middle of the clearing. It was clearly Becky's. I almost threw up. What would have made her bleed that much?

Something was coming out from the cave, making the ground shake. It was a humanoid figure, at least ten feet tall, with a hairy and muscular body and a monstrous orange skin, armed with a huge club, wearing – that was the only funny thing – a green toga. The monster had a brutish face with a single eye in the middle of the forehead. It was a Cyclops.

I tried really hard not to let out a gasp. Something told me that there were more of them inside that cavern. If that was true, then Becky couldn't have had a chance.

The Cyclops sat – and the whole world trembled – in front of the cavern with his back to us. If only we could run fast before he realized and enter the cavern… It was a big guy. He wouldn't have time to move too quickly.

"Don't do any stupidity," said Eric very quietly. "She should be okay for now, I hope. Cyclopes are from Poseidon too. They won't kill her so fast. And you know Becky. She isn't the kind of girl that gives up so easily."

"Assuming that she isn't already dead," I said even more quietly. "What do we do?"

"There are certainly more Cyclopes inside," whispered Eric. "I can distract this one and hold him off enough, so you can enter the cavern and get Becky. I would offer myself, but she probably is trapped somewhere high. But be careful, Henry, we don't know what's inside."

"Got it," I said. "Be careful too. I'll get you once we're out. Stay close."

He nodded and got lost in the woods. I was waiting for his sign.

"Guys?" I heard Eric's voice, coming far away from the left. I held an impulse of calling for him. I knew he was distracting the Cyclops. "Guys, where are you? I've lost all my weapons! I'm all alone! Where'd you go?"

The Cyclops gave an evil smile. He got on his feet and started walking very slowly.

"Demigod needing help?" asked a girl's voice.

I looked around, but there was no girl anywhere. I frowned.

"Where are you, demigod?" the girl said again. Then I realized it was Becky's voice. "I can help you!"

I froze. It was a trick. It had to be a trick. Becky was inside the cavern. She couldn't get out by herself. And if it _was_her, she would have recognized Eric's voice. I hoped he knew that.

Then I realized it was the Cyclops who had talked in Becky's voice, in a perfect imitation.

"I'm coming in your aid, demigod!" said the Cyclops in Becky's voice. "Tell me where you are!"

"I'm here!" said Eric, almost in a cry. That was when I knew he knew. He hadn't been fooled.

The Cyclops continued to walk towards Eric's voice. As soon as the Cyclops was out of the clearing, I ran to the cavern. By the entrance, I stopped.

It was dark. I couldn't see a thing inside. And, the worst of all, it had a horrible smell. It remembered the smell of my last school's male restroom, only a hundred times worse.

"Hang on, Becky," I said quietly. "I'm coming."

I took a deep breath and entered the cavern.

/

The cavern was huge. It didn't seem that huge when you looked from outside. It did seem big, but not huge.

The tunnel seemed to keep going forever. I don't know for how long I had walked, neither where I was walking to.

I could see another entrance ahead. The place was a little more illuminated now. The walls were filthy and full of phlegm.

When I finally arrived at the actual cavern, I almost forgot that I had to be silent. I couldn't even see the roof, and the space could cover at least five baseball courts.

The cavern was like a house. I'm not kidding. It was like a summer cabin, only everything was made of wood and was triple-sized. I could see a kind of living room in the back, with a sofa and a table, two beds and (yuck) a bathroom. That was where the smell was coming from.

So there _were_ more than one Cyclops, I thought. That couldn't be good. Where would be the other?

The closest "room" was the kitchen. There was this big dinner table with two equally big chairs. Over the table was a big steaming caldron. Above it was a kind of foil to cook. Beside me, on the left, right beside the entrance, were this boxes that were three times taller than me. I still couldn't see Becky.

I heard thumps. The Cyclops was coming back. I went to hide behind one of the boxes. I flew to the top of it, only daring to let my eyes unhidden, so I could see what was happening.

"Siiiiii-ssy!" A second Cyclops entered the cavern. He was very alike the other Cyclops, only a little taller, a little rougher and, if that was possible, a little uglier. And his toga was red.

"How cute!" he said, putting something inside the cauldron. Who he was talking to? "You were waiting for me!" He waited a few seconds, but no one answered. "Oh, boring, you're sleeping again. Come on, wake up! I like talking to my food. Especially when they are in so much pain."

He leaned to get something and stopped covering my vision of the table. For the first time I noticed there was a chain attached to the foil. With horror, I saw that someone very little was suspended there, by the feet, upside down. The hair and the arms were hanging loosely. I realized it was a girl. A horribly injured girl.

It was the second time that I almost threw up. It was Becky. I couldn't even recognize her. There was so much blood in her head. I didn't know it was possible for a person to bleed that much. She was ghostly pale, had bruises all over her face and who knew which other injuries she had.

Somehow I was sure she wasn't dead. Not yet. She might have passed out from the pain. Please, I thought, be only unconscious.

"Sissy, wake up!" complained the Cyclops.

He stretched his monstrous hand and squeezed Becky. I had to cover my mouth not to shout in panic.

She let out a terrible scream, a kind of scream that would haunt me for ages. If the pain had made her pass out, then the pain could make her wake up. She surely had many broken bones. I clenched my fists.

"There, sissy," said the Cyclops happily. "You're awake again. You're such a sleepy heroine. Well, now talk to me. It may be your last talk with someone ever."

The monster laughed at the sound of Becky's whimpers. Yes, Becky was whimpering. I had never seen her whimper, _never_. It was so not like her. She certainly was _very_ badly injured.

"Could you _please_ just kill me already?" Becky asked between sobs, like every word made her feel pain. Her voice was so weak. "I may die before you eat me."

"Nonsense!" yelled the Cyclops jovially. "You've held on this long, haven't you? As I said, I like it when my food is in pain. I never had a food in so much pain like you before. And you think I'll kill you that fast?"

Becky cried. I was afraid that the next time she passed out would be her last.

"Ah, sissy, you're a tough heroine," said the Cyclops, adding some things to the cauldron. "If it consoles you, you were also the most difficult food I ever captured. Most heroes die before they can start battling with us. You were annoyingly difficult. Resisted until your very last breath. Does that console you?"

"N-not really," Becky managed. "And stop calling me sissy. I'm not your sister. I refuse to be related to something that terrible like you."

"Ha, very funny, sissy," said the Cyclops. "Indeed, that's another reason I want to eat you so badly. You challenge us. You defend yourself from us. You're insolent. I like difficult food."

More ingredients were added to the cauldron.

"Aculeatus keeps trying to convince me we are too bad with heroes," said the Cyclops casually. "'Why don't you let a hero live this time, Latipes?' he says. 'Oh, but you already had much fun. Let her go, so she can… uh… die in the woods.' My brother is so soft-hearted."

"Please, just kill me," Becky begged.

"No," said Latipes. "Stop that, sissy. You're starting to annoy me. Which difference it will make, if I kill you now or later?"

"Much," Becky said.

"None," said Latipes. "Is it because of your broken bones? You heroes are so fragile. I don't know if I told you, but I like it when my food is fractured. It's easier to crunch."

That was it, I thought, I couldn't just watch anymore. I had to act. But what could I do? I didn't know how I would be able to beat a Cyclops by my own.

Then I saw it. I saw the Cyclops' club, identical to Aculeatus'. It was in the other side of the cavern to my right. If only I could reach it…

I had an idea. I had never tried to do anything like that before. But it was my only chance.

My arm stretched towards the club, I imagined it floating. It obeyed me. I made it float to the top of Latipes' head.

Becky saw it. Her eyes widened, but she fortunately didn't say a thing.

"What is it, sissy?" asked Latipes, rather amused. "Aware that you're really going to die, eh? Yeah, I know… I do not like to eat my relatives, but you're pretty, so you might taste_pretty_ well. Ha! I'm so funny!"

To make sure it would be intense enough, I swung my arm at the same time I hit the Cyclops with the club. The monster got disoriented for a split second, and that was all that I needed.

I flew to Becky. I had never flown that fast before. I stretched my arm as I passed by the chains and the velocity helped me to rip them off. I grabbed Becky as carefully as I could, but I couldn't do much. After all, we had to run away from a Cyclops.

I was very close from turning into a pancake as Latipes almost got us. It was never my intention to knock him out – come on, how could I knock a monster like that out? –, but I didn't know he was going to recover himself so quickly.

"NO!" he screamed, grabbing his club "YOU'RE NOT TAKING MY SISSY AWAY!"

Fortunately, I was very agile in the air. I could deviate from Latipes' attempts to hit us with his club, but I didn't know for how long I could do that.

Water exploded in the cavern. It came from the roof and from the entrance in great velocity, filling the place rapidly.

I glanced at Becky. How was she able to use such great power in her conditions? Then I realized she had passed out. She had used the very last bit of her energy to hold Latipes off enough for us to escape.

"Please, don't die," I told her, as if she could hear me.

"SISSY!" the Cyclops yelled, struggling to his feet. "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?"

I flew quickly through the tunnel. Latipes would take time to follow us, thanks to Becky, but I couldn't relax. I went faster and faster. I was getting closer the exit of the cavern.

Then it was blocked by an avalanche of rocks.

/

I couldn't stop in time. I collided with the new wall of rock. The only thing I had been able to do was to turn sideways so I wouldn't make Becky get even more injuries. My shoulder hurt.

"HERO!" Latipes' voice echoed from the end of the tunnel. "COME BACK HERE WITH MY SISSY!"

"Eric!" I yelled desperately. "Eric, are you there? Eric! ERIC!"

The water was filling the place faster than I thought. If we didn't get killed by Latipes, then we would get drowned… But I remembered Becky could breathe underwater. I couldn't.

"ERIC!" I shouted.

Some of the rocks of the top were removed, forming a passage. I flew there. It was a narrow opening, but I was able to pass through it and drag Becky with me.

I almost collided with Aculeatus' face.

"Demigod!" he exclaimed, alarmed. "What are you doing with sissy?"

I kicked his eye. He was a little slower than Latipes and, thankfully, soft-hearted. He screamed in pain and got disoriented.

"Eric?" I called.

"Henry!"

The sound came from above my head. I flew to the top of the cavern, to the roof, and found Eric there. He didn't seem injured, and I felt a little bit better.

"Grab her," I said to him. "It will be easier for me."

Eric took Becky from my arms, looking extremely worried. I grabbed his armpits.

The wall of rocks blocking the entrance was down. Water exploded from inside of the cavern. And Latipes stormed out, furious.

"HERO! WHERE IS MY SISSY?"

Eric, still holding Becky, said, "Get us out of here!"

"Where to?" I asked.

"The city!" he said, pointing. "That way!"

I grabbed him and flew.

"NO!" Latipes' screams were getting lower as we went away. "MY SISSY! COME BACK WITH MY SISSY! MY PRETTY FOOD!"

/

We were out of the woods. I followed the main road. I wasn't worried about being seen. The Mist would take care of everything.

The sun was beginning to rise. I saw a sign indicating we were three miles from St. Louis. Would Becky hold on that long?

"How's she?" I asked.

"Slightly better than dead," Eric answered.

Well, that was a solace.

"Tell me you have her backpack," I said to Eric.

"Yeah," he said. "It's here."

I sighed with relief.

"You OK with those three miles?" Eric asked me.

"I never traveled that far before," I admitted. "But I think I will be OK."

For the next mile, none of us talked. I was saving energy, and Eric liked to think a lot. That was something I had figured out in this little time I knew him. But I couldn't take it anymore.

"What is her fatal flaw, Eric?"

He didn't answer immediately. "I knew you were going to ask me that soon enough. It's a very personal thing, Henry, she has to be the one to tell you."

I bit my tongue. If she survived this, I thought.

"You understand that, don't you?" Eric asked suddenly. "That we trust you, but we sometimes aren't ready to talk about our past."

"I do," I said honestly. "At first I didn't, but now I do. I understand completely. Your pasts are very traumatic."

I wanted to be sympathetic, but I didn't know if I said the right thing. And I wouldn't know anyway, because Eric didn't say anything.

We stayed in silence for a long moment. Then Eric said, "She won't hang on for so long without medication. We'll have to stop."

I agreed. We were already safe from Latipes and Aculeatus, and I was worried about Becky.

I slowed down to search for a place for us to stop. I caught sight of a kind of abandoned barn. It was perfect. I flew towards there.

Thankfully, the place didn't smell bad. We accommodated Becky over a pile of hay.

Now that I was looking at her more carefully, she seemed even worse. Her head was bleeding non-stop. Her lips were chapped. Her jaw, her forehead, her left eye and her arms were terribly bruised. Her clothes were covered in blood.

While Eric searched for the bottle of nectar, I told him everything that had happened inside the cavern. About what Latipes had said, him squeezing Becky, her cries and whimpers, the way she was begging to the Cyclops to kill her because she didn't want to feel more pain, how I had gotten her and how she used her last bit of energy to help us escape. He listened to everything silently and didn't make comments.

"She was tough," I concluded. I was finding his silence very odd.

"Yeah, she was," agreed Eric.

Eric finally found the bottle. He managed to make Becky drink some of the nectar.

"It was very easy to fool my Cyclops," Eric told me. "I confounded him, then hurt his foot to hold him off, and then went to the roof of the cavern. I thought I had more chances with a defensive tactic. Not one hundred per cent better from that injury the Fury made. Don't start," he added, when I was about to speak. "It's OK. Oh, and the rock avalanche wasn't my fault. It was the stupid monster who collided with the conjunction of rocks."

He turned around and started to examine Becky's injuries. I didn't interrupt him. He seemed determined and concentrated.

"Three broken ribs and a broken arm," he told me, his forehead wrinkled with concern. "No wonder she was whimpering so much."

I trembled. "Do you think she will make it?"

He examined her again for a moment.

"Yes," he concluded, and I breathed. "But I don't know how she survived this long. I'm impressed."

"I know," I said. "When the Cyclops squeezed her, I was amazed that she didn't die from the pain. And then when she used that much power, I thought she would be dead for sure."

I grabbed the backpack and got Becky's extra T-shirt. It was green and the stamp was _I've met seaweed smarter than you_.

"Here," I said to Eric. "Use it to stop the bleeding."

He did so. While he pressed the shirt against her head, I stayed beside him, watching her for any sign of movement. At least the color of her face was starting to come back.

Eric put his hand on Becky's forehead, checking her temperature.

"She will feel much pain when she wakes up," he said.

"Not much more pain she already felt," I said to him.

He breathed. "You're right."

Eric sat down. I realized his legs had been trembling. I approached Becky, held the T-shirt on her head and studied her face.

"Should we risk giving her more nectar?" I asked Eric.

"It's risky," said Eric. "But yeah, sure. Just be careful. Dose it well."

I made Becky drink a little more nectar. She didn't seem any better. I wished we had something to immobilize her arm and her ribs.

"Hey, Eric?" I said.

"Yeah?"

"Remember that day, back in camp, when you told me about a message you received?"

"Think so."

"And remember that Becky got mad at you?"

"Uh-huh."

"Was it because she thought you were talking to Jamie again?"

Lucky I couldn't see his expression. When he spoke, he seemed controlled, but it made me apprehensive.

"Yeah. But I wasn't. That was when he started avoiding me. I had said to him about my idea and he disappeared. No, I was talking to Nico. He had been helping me to look for Jamie. But while he looked for him, he noticed a kind of agitation in Tartarus, and advised us to start the mission soon."

"Oh."

I didn't say anything else. Talking about anything that involved his brother was very difficult. I had thought it would be easier now that I knew everything, but I realized it wasn't.

"I think I will go around," said Eric suddenly, jumping to his feet. "Find a farm, get some blankets, water and medicaments. Do you mind?"

"Not at all," I told him. "Do you really want…?"

"Yeah, absolutely," he said. "I need to occupy myself. I won't take long, promise."

He went out of the barn. I stared at the door after he was out. His behavior was starting to make me worried. Was it the concern? Or was he avoiding me?

I turned around to face Becky again. My vision was swimming, but I thought it was because I had turned around too quickly. But it didn't stop. The dizziness kept getting worse and worse, until I passed out.


	11. The godly housemaid

Chapter eleven – The godly housemaid

I was falling non-stop into the darkness. It was like I would never hit the ground. While I fell, I waited for the impact that was likely to never come.

"I am your worst nightmare," the voice from the enemy echoed everywhere, but nowhere. It was like it was coming from each sides, and from none sides at the same time. It was the thing that terrified me the most about that.

"Leave me alone!" I shouted. I got surprised at the sound of my own voice. I hadn't been able to talk in any of the nightmares with the voice before.

The voice laughed. It was such a cold laugh that made me shiver.

"I never leave people alone, son of lightning," the voice said. "You, from all people, should know that."

"Why me?" I asked, sounding like a little kid. "Why sending your messages to me, not to Becky or Eric?"

"You are the most vulnerable one," it said, almost melodically, in a terrifying way.

"What you mean?"

The voice didn't respond.

"I'm giving you a clue, boy," it said. "The answer is right there, right on your face, and you're not realizing it."

"I'm tired of riddles," I said. "Will I ever receive a direct answer, just for a change?"

That was when I hit the ground. I grunted in surprise, but I didn't feel any pain. I tried to stand up blindly, and the darkness was still suffocating and claustrophobic.

"Your fatal flaw is not individuality, like suggested before," said the voice. "That is the characteristic of _hers_."

"Hers?" I asked. "You mean, Becky's?"

"Yes. Your friend's individuality is much more fatal than yours."

I thought about that. Was Becky's individuality that had made her fight those Cyclopes? But Eric was the individual one… Or his individuality wasn't fatal?

I shook my head. That wasn't making any sense.

"What's my fatal flaw, then?" I asked the voice.

"I've already told you, silly boy. I've already told you."

"You didn't!" I complained "You just give me riddles and more riddles."

I almost could feel the voice's owner shrug, if that was even possible. "A good hero must know how to solve riddles. It's vital."

I was getting more and more frustrated.

"Who are you?" I asked. "What do you want?"

"What a fool," the voice laughed. "You haven't realized yet?"

Then I stopped breathing.

/

"Henry!" someone was screaming. "Henry, please, wake up! Wake up!"

My vision was starting to function again. I tried to remember what had happened. I was in the barn, standing, then I passed out and had this crazy vision. And apparently I had fallen during it… over Becky.

"Oh, my gods!" I exclaimed, getting up quickly. "Oh, Becky, I'm so sorry! I'm really sorry! Your ribs… I'm sorry!"

"It's... it's okay," she managed.

It was _not_ okay. I could see it clearly. She had tears on her face, from the pain, and she was panting. But I didn't have time to feel guilty, or even to be shaken over my vision.

"You're awake," I said breathlessly. "Oh, my gods, you're awake. How are you feeling? Oh, what a stupid thing to ask. Of course you're feeling awful. But… gods, you're awake!"

Becky managed to give me a weak smile. I was so relieved on seeing her awake that I couldn't do anything properly.

I pressed the T-shirt against her head again. Then I realized it wasn't bleeding anymore.

"Oh, look," I said, cleaning the rest of the blood that remained on her head, "the terrible cut's gone. The nectar wasn't so useless after all. Ah," I added, giving her the T-shirt back, "I had to use this to stop the bleeding, hope you don't mind." 

"It's a shirt Percy gave me," she said casually. "You know, just before he went to live underwater. But don't worry. I'm not angry, really. The odds were stronger."

"You're really not angry?" I asked for reassurance.

"I guarantee that I'm not."

"Good," I said in relief.

I wasn't good in first-aid, but I tried to examine her like Eric did. But I couldn't focus. I was far too happy, I couldn't stop talking.

"Eric's gone to get you some blankets, water and medicaments," I told Becky. "Oh, Becky, you don't even know how happy I am to see you breathing."

She laughed, but at the same time tried not to laugh. The result a start of a laugh then a little gasp of pain.

"You were incredibly brave," I told her. "Really. The way you went to fight that Cyclopes alone to protect us, how you resisted until you got so injured that you weren't able to continue, and how you used your very last bit of energy to help us escape! I have no words. It took nerve. It's beyond everything–"

"Stop!" Becky said, trying to rise. "Stop treating me like a heroine! I did the most stupid thing in my whole demigod life! And, in the end, you and Eric had to come to save me!"

"Stay still," I warned her, pressing her shoulders to make her lie down again. "You're too agitated. Relax, OK? And you _were_ brave. Don't deny it."

"Henry, I don't want to stay still," she complained. "And yeah, wow, I helped us a lot. We're gonna get late just because of me and my supposed bravery. I'm always messing things up! The thing with the plane was my fault too. I obligated you to fly. Maybe if we had gotten the bus, none of this would be happening."

"None of these are your fault," I told her "And _stop_ talking! Every word must make you feel pain."

"Breathing makes me feel pain," she said bluntly. "So it doesn't matter."

She had a point.

"What happened to you when you fell over me?" she asked, and I was relieved she changed the subject. "You were out for a really long time. I tried to wake you up, but it was impossible. Just like last time, back at camp. What did you see? Was it the voice again?"

"Oh, I'm sorry again for falling over you. Anyway, I had this crazy vision."

I did my best to tell her everything about the vision. I tried not to miss anything. When I finished, she took a moment to think about that.

"These visions are getting more and more frequent," Becky said thoughtfully. "So _that's_ why the voice only talks to you! But you're not vulnerable, of course," she added quickly.

"Yeah."

That was all I said. Now that I was thinking about that, maybe I indeed was the most vulnerable of the three. But I decided not to torture myself with that thought.

"Becky," I said, "do you know who the enemy is?"

She hesitated for a moment, seeming truly scared. It was another not-so-Becky thing I had seen in the mission.

"Well…" Then she shook her head like she was washing away the thought. "No, it can't be. I'm not sure, Henry."

It was a lie. Becky hadn't fooled me. She did know who the enemy was, but didn't want to tell me. I could tell she was too afraid of the answer to admit she was right about the enemy.

"One more thing," I said. "About the fatal flaws–"

The barn's door opened. Eric went inside. He was carrying a blanket over his shoulders, a first-aid kit on one hand and a water bottle in the other. He was checking the things.

"Hey, man," Eric said, without looking up. "There's a farm two minutes from here. The old man was very kind. He almost gave me every supply there was."

He was so distracted that when he saw that Becky was awake, the things he was carrying fell on the ground. He stared at her for a moment, then grabbed the things from the floor, approached and gave me the water bottle.

Not saying a word, he dropped the first-aid kit and covered Becky with the blanket, in a way to imitate a bandage for her ribs.

"You're lucky I'm happy to see you alive, or I'd probably punch you in the face," Eric finally said.

"I know," Becky said. "You can yell at me if you please. I won't argue. I know I deserve it. I'm sorry, guys."

I helped Becky drink from the water bottle.

"Let's not yell at anybody," I said. "But Becky, he has a point. You owe us big time. An explanation would do."

She took several sips from the water bottle to avoid answering immediately.

"Very well, then," said Becky, taking a deep breath. "I was on my duty and I fell asleep. I should be ashamed, but given everything I did, it's nothing in comparison. Anyway, I woke up hearing the thumps. The first thing that came to my mind was that there were giants. But it was impossible to have giants there. So I realized there were Cyclopes, and that they were near. They were too close. I simply didn't think. I didn't want them to get you."

"So you simply went to fight two Cyclopes by yourself when you had two friends to help you, because you didn't want us to get injured?" asked Eric.

Becky looked at him. "Yeah, sort of," she said. "Like I said, I didn't think. If I hadn't gone to fight, they would probably find our clearing, and it would be our end. The three of us would die."

It sounded like she was telling that more to console herself than anything else. Or maybe to _convince_ herself.

Eric seemed as though he was trying really hard not to say something like: 'You're impossible.'

"Anyway," Becky continued, "the thing was going well at first. I led them far enough from you, but I wasn't counting with another clearing near the other. It was their clearing. They corralled me. I felt it wouldn't end up well, but I had to choose between surrender and fighting until the end. I chose the second option."

I made an effort not to let my mouth drop open. She had chosen to fight, even if it was most likely that she was going to die. She was disposed to die to protect Eric and I. Sure, I would do the same thing for them if I was in her place.

Wouldn't I?

"They nearly killed me," Becky told us. "I still don't know how I managed not to die. They pain was unbearable. My conscience kept coming and going. And Latipes and Aculeatus kept talking to me, and I was obligated to answer, or Latipes squeezed me, like Henry saw."

"So he did it more times?" I asked.

Becky nodded.

"There's one thing that is bothering me, though," she said. "How did you find me? I thought that I was dead for sure, because you wouldn't find me, but at least you were safe. So, how…?"

I told her about the vision I had about her.

"But this is exactly what happened!" Becky said. "All the details! OK, this is creepy."

"And the voice spoke again," I said, trying my best to exclude the accusation tone. "It said something about your fatal flaw."

She stayed silent for several minutes. I could tell she would give anything not to talk about that.

"That was what Chiron was worried about," she simply said.

I remembered vaguely when we talked to Chiron, just before the mission. The conversations seemed to have happened ages ago. He had said he was worried, that our fatal flaws were particularly difficult to manage.

"Henry, forgive us, all right?" Becky said, truly sad. "When you told us about the dream, that one that said about your fatal flaw, we knew something was wrong. You see, my fatal flaw is revenge." She said that so casually I didn't have time to be surprised. "There's a lot of individuality in that. Eric and I talked, and we concluded that was _not_ your fatal flaw."

"But what _is_ mine?" I asked. "And why that voice from the dream lied to me? It was female, and seemed nice. And–"

I didn't continue the sentence. I had never admitted to myself, but I had hopes… The voice in the west, not the enemy's, was very similar to my mother's. I missed her a lot.

"Unless…" I said with a little hope. "Unless… Can fatal flaws change with time?"

"Don't think so," said Becky, looking at me with an apologizing expression. "I mean, it can happen, of course, everything changes. But it's exceptionally rare. It's something so unique. Know what I mean? It's not something that can change suddenly and so easily."

I sighed sadly. The beautiful voice of that woman couldn't have lied to me. I was sure about that.

"Henry, we know nothing about your fatal flaw," said Eric. "Really."

"But I want to get some things straight," I said. "It's not very common for a half-blood to know what is their fatal flaw, right? So how you guys know yours?"

"We are in camp for so long that we've had interesting journeys," said Becky. "We were told about our fatal flaws. By our worried fathers."

I felt the weight in those words. Poseidon and Hades had been worried about Becky and Eric, so they talked to them. Gods didn't do that frequently. I knew it well.

I thought about my father for the first time in ages. There I was, going to save him, even if he hadn't ever showed any affection for me. He hadn't ever talked to me. Nothing. Like a complete stranger.

"Right," I went forward before I could backtrack. "In my second vision–"

"_Another_ vision?" asked Eric.

"It was right after you were out," I said, turning to face him. "It said that my fatal flaw wasn't individuality, that it was Becky's. But _you_ are the most individual one. Aren't you?"

I wished to take that back as soon as I said. Luckily, Eric didn't get angry or anything.

"In fact, I am," he said.

"Then what…?"

"But my individuality isn't fatal," said Eric. "Yeah, in the past, it was, kind of. When I wanted to join Jamie and everything… But my real flaw, the one that is the most fatal, is exceeded caution."

I looked at him. I wasn't expecting to hear that without warning. It was like Eric had thrown a bomb to me that had the countdown in three, two, one…

"When I was a kid, I was too impulsive," said Eric, seeming totally relaxed now. "You can possibly tell. After Jamie, I started to be more careful… _too_ careful. You must know situations here in the mission that my fatal flaw was in action."

The answer had been there all the time and I didn't realize it. First, in the airport, when Eric hesitated too long and didn't get his sword in time, he could have died. Then, in the plane, during the attack of the Furies. I didn't see it, but the reason of his injury must have been excess of hesitation too.

"Oh."

That was all that I was able to say. I spent a minute to absolve the information, then turned to Becky. "You say your fatal flaw is revenge. The voice said it had individuality, and you said that too. But I don't see the connection between that and revenge. It's not very clear."

Becky became suddenly nervous. She wasn't as relaxed as Eric. Maybe it was because we knew his full story. I didn't know a thing about Becky's.

"Sorry, Henry," she said, avoiding my eyes. "I'll have to organize my thoughts before telling you."

"Oh," I said, slightly disappointed. "Oh, OK, then."

Eric, in order to diffuse the tension, turned to the first-aid kit he had brought, looking for something.

"How're you feeling?" he asked Becky. "Do you need anything?"

"I'm okay," she said. "Just a little cold."

"I have bandages here somewhere," said Eric, still looking in the first-aid kit "I can replace the blanket and you can use it."

Eric finally found the bandage. I grabbed the blanket and he involver her ribs.

"The bones are starting to straighten," Becky told us. "Very slowly, but I can feel it."

"Good," said Eric, finishing the bandage. "Then you keep still for it to be faster to heal."

"Very funny," she said, while I covered her with the blanket. "I'm not moving that much."

"But you can't stop talking, can you?" I said jokingly.

"All right, all right," she said. "I'll stop. But first, I have something to tell you."

"Spill it out," said Eric.

"I got a bunch of information from Latipes and Aculeatus," Becky told us. "I mean, if I hadn't got anything, then I would've felt terrible. But I got some drachmas and valuable information."

"That's good," said Eric. "So, tell us."

"They said something about a place where heroes got transportation," said Becky, "in St. Louis, and that now some guy is guarding the place."

"That's our next stop, then," I said.

"But first we need Becky to recover herself enough," said Eric. "We won't move a finger until she can."

Becky didn't exchange looks with any of us. I could tell she was still feeling awful about the whole situation. She didn't like to feel useless, nor liked the thought that she was responsible for our delay. But I didn't know how to tell her that we didn't blame her at all.

"I think you guys should sleep," Becky said. "You must be tired. I'll stay alert. Don't worry," she added grudgingly. "I can't even move, so how am I supposed to do anything stupid?"

"Henry and I will divide the duties," said Eric. "It's more guaranteed."

Becky didn't like the idea at all. But she made no objections, because she knew it was the right thing to do.

"I'll get the first watch," I said promptly. "You can sleep, Eric."

He didn't object either. He got a pile of hay and fell asleep immediately.

I sat down next to the pile of hay where Becky was lying, in order to give her company. She didn't seem like someone who was going to fall asleep so quickly.

"What's stopping you?" I asked her. "From sleeping, I mean."

She didn't answer at once. I felt a movement, like she was trying to turn around, but she remembered she couldn't.

"The guilt is killing me," Becky said.

"Guilt of what?"

"Everything! For making you choose the plane over the bus, for being dumb and going to fight those Cyclopes, for almost dying, for making you guys save me, for delaying our quest… I'm the one with most experience here. I was supposed to be rational."

"Everyone makes mistakes," I told her. "I personally do that a lot. It's just… When you're a demigod, your mistakes are considerably bigger."

She laughed without much humor. "You're right. Very right, Henry."

There was silence. I took that to pay attention in case I heard any strange sound – any monster sound. But I could only hear the birds and cars passing on the main road near the barn. It must be almost midmorning.

Becky didn't talk to me again, and I didn't either. I had to focus, though it was very unlikely that there was a monster nearby.

Yet, monsters could be anywhere. All demigods knew that. Even in the most remote places, we had to be ready to fight.

I didn't know how much time I stayed there, just listening. It could've been hours. But then my eyes were led to the T-shirt Percy had given Becky, and that reminded me something.

"Hey, Becky?" I asked.

Only then I thought I could have woken her up. But, when she answered me, she didn't seem sleepy at all.

"Yeah?"

"You know, when we were leaving for the quest, and it was Percy's turn to say goodbye, he told me something."

"What was it?"

"He told me to take care of you. Take very good care of you, in his words. He made me give him my word."

Becky sighed. "Percy," she said, almost like a mother who talked about her naughty child, "always trying to protect everybody."

"Ahn…" I said. I didn't know if I should ask her what she meant. Thankfully, I didn't need to.

"Percy doesn't understand my fatal flaw as well as Eric," Becky told me. "He knows I can take care of myself, but you must've realized my bravery makes me do stupid things. Percy was just being caring, I suppose."

I didn't answer. She interpreted well my silence.

"Henry, don't be frustrated with me," she said, almost in a pleading tone. "I really want to tell you everything about my past. I'm under pressure, now that Eric has already done it. But some things in life are just too hard to talk about."

I made an effort to be understandable. I really did. But, at the same time, the selfish Henry was starting to show himself again. I was tired of waiting. And no, I'm not proud to admit it.

"Talking helps, you know," I said. "Talking to a friend about your problems removes the weight over your shoulders and you feel more capable to deal with everything."

Becky hesitated, then smiled at me. "I'll consider your advice."

I understood that our conversation was over. I jumped on my feet and woke Eric up for his duty. I lied on the pile of hay he had been sleeping on. I hadn't realized how tired I was, but I slept as soon as I leaned over the pile of hay.

/

I dreamed about big cities.

It wasn't Denver. It was a city I didn't recognize. Becky and Eric weren't there, and I hadn't got my sword either.

Then I heard it. The voice I wanted most not to hear. It just lost the first place for the voice of the enemy.

_Son of lightning, we have met once again._

It was just like the first time, when the female voice spoke when I dreamed about Denver. None of the people around seemed to be paying attention to the voice that was echoing everywhere, or to me.

The words _son of lightning_ made me shiver. The enemy called me son of lightning too. That thought made my suspicions grow even more.

"What do you want?" I asked the voice.

_I sense a slight of distrust. The son of lightning does not trust me anymore. What can I do to change that thought of yours?_

"You could start by showing yourself!" I suggested angrily.

The next moment, a beautiful lady was standing before me. If youth was a person, then it would be her. She was motherly, but juvenile at the same time.

"I am Hebe," said the lady, with a voice identical to my mother's.

I frowned at her. "Isn't Hebe the gods' servant? You know, like Olympus' housemaid?"

Okay, so that wasn't the kind of appropriate comment. But, you know, ADHD and all…

"I no longer answer to that title," Hebe said very coolly. "I prefer to be recognized as the goddess of youth only."

"Sorry, sorry," I managed, bowing respectfully to the goddess. "So, all right, you're Lady Hebe, the goddess of youth, wife of Hercules."

"That is better," said Hebe approvingly. "Now, son of lightning and half-brother, what causes this distrust towards me?"

I didn't answer immediately. Hebe was a goddess. That should have made me give up on my suspicions and trust her, but I did the exact opposite. It was like the fact of her being a goddess made her even less trustworthy.

"You lied to me," I said. "In the first dream you talked to me, you said my fatal flaw was individuality. You lied."

"No, no, I did not lie, Henry Clarke," said Hebe. "Without your friends, you will certainly die."

"Yeah, but individuality's not my fatal flaw!" I insisted.

She smiled. "Sweetheart, I never said it was your fatal flaw."

My heart sank. That was true. She had said without Becky and Eric I would die, but she didn't tell me individuality was my fatal flaw.

"You might not have said that," I said stubbornly, "but you suggested it. You instigated me think that was my fatal flaw. You did that to distract me from discovering my real one."

Hebe studied me carefully, clearly avoiding the accusation. "You are a very interesting boy, Henry Clarke."

"What makes you think that?" I asked.

Again, she evasively studied my face.

"What do you want with me?" I said, already losing my patience.

"I have come to warn you," said the goddess. "You shall not go to St. Louis."

I stared at her. "But I have to. St. Louis is the closest city, and we have to get a ride to Denver. My friends and I are going there anytime soon. We don't have time to waste."

"If you care about yours and your friends' security, you will not go to St. Louis. Way too many problems are related to that city."

"And why should I believe you?" I asked.

Hebe raised her eyebrow. "I have the habit of attaching too much to youthful people, Henry Clarke, and you are one of them. I would not lie to a person so full of youth like you."

She smiled at me, but it was a kind of strange smile, a smile that frightened me. The first thing that came to my mind was that youth brought irresponsibility. Would that apply to the goddess of youth too?

/

"Henry, time to go."

"Wha–what?"

The old and abandoned barn focused once again. Eric was leaned over me. He had been shaking my shoulders.

Another voice, not Eric's, said, "You have a very deep sleep."

I looked around. Becky was standing by the door of the barn, with her backpack over her shoulders.

"You got better!" I said to her, jumping to my feet.

"Yeah," she said, smiling. I could see how happy she was. "An extra dose of nectar and I'm as good as new. Well, kinda."

I could see two red spots on her cheeks, which suggested she had a bit of fever. That was what happened when a demigod drank much nectar. But Eric wouldn't have let her drink more if he wasn't sure it was safe.

"We're ready to go," said Eric. "You all right?"

I thought about Hebe, the godly housemaid. She had said there were way too many problems related to St. Louis. Was she telling the truth?

_I have the habit of attaching too much with youthful people, Henry Clarke, and you are one of them_, she had said. Had she really meant it? Or was she trying to use me?

"Yeah, I'm OK," I said. "Let's go. Next stop, St. Louis."


End file.
